Sending Out Flares
by Elandil
Summary: AU: What if Luce was too weak to hold the Arcobaleno? As a last ditch effort, Kawahira did something he had never thought to do before, he prayed for an answer. If said answer came in the form of a boy on the brink of death...he had dealt with worse odds before... probably. And when if past came calling years later... well, bonded Guardians always did have attachment issues.
1. Christmas Miracle

**A/N: So... yeah... not dead. Just been having a lot of trouble having time/energy/motivation to write for the past few years. This is the first thing to truly grip my imagination in a long time, so I'm going to stick with this for as long as I can. Hopefully, the next update will be tomorrow (26th October) but we'll just see how it goes. **

**I hope you enjoy it guys.**

**Ella**

* * *

_This wasn't going to work._

The voice, though quiet, was insistent with a ringing surety that bounced around the confines of his mind despite his best efforts to ignore it, or, at least, that was the idea. Heedless of his desires, the words refused to fade and Kawahira had to bite back a sigh. In hands, the faint orange glow of the pacifier mocked him.

Administering the Tri-Ni-Sette was a responsibility he had never wanted, never expected for it to fall into his hands, and had never before caused so many problems as it was gearing up to now…

Gathering the elements had been simple enough, with the new generation's sheer power dwarfing that of their most recent predecessors he would have been more surprised if the pacifiers had chosen not to resonate with their chosen hosts. Hell, he had even managed to track down the perfect cloud, normally the most elusive of the set, in the form of an oblivious civilian who bled flames to the point he could almost taste them in the air around him.

With him accepted and all of the other invitations delivered, his job should have been practically over. All he had left to do was inform the new Arcobaleno of the Sky exactly where and when to meet with her new Guardians… so why then was an icy knot of dread starting to curl in his gut?

Normally, given the precognitive abilities of the Giglio Nero Skies and the blood flowing through their veins, Kawahira would simply have to appear in front of them, pass on the time and date of the meeting, then head home. No time wasted on the explanations or pointless niceties that were needed for the elements. The children of Sepira knew their duty.

It was a plan of action that had served him well for centuries only now… he hesitated. The warning ringing in his ears in a manner that was impossible to ignore.

Instead, he now found himself cloaked in one of the strongest illusions at his disposal and following the pregnant Donna as she went about the day, in much the same way that he had stalked all the other Arcobaleno-to-be over the last two years. Even from ten feet away he could feel the strength and purity of her flames soaking into the air around her, not quite up to the standards of the others of this set, yet far stronger than any he had felt in decades. Now if only he could shake off the nagging fear that continued to insist that they were not strong _enough_.

Ignoring the feeling, and the fine trembling in his hands, he slowly removed the pacifier from the subspace where it usually rested when not in use and allowed the artefact to settle in his palm. This close to such pure Flames, it should have been the matter of a moment for it to flash back to brilliant orange, proving its acceptance of the potential power source…

Five minutes later and still nothing had happened. In truth, he could even imagine that the faint remnant of the last host was weaker now than it had been just that morning.

_This isn't going to work._

He could have done without the reminder, and the smug tone that had managed to sneak into his inner voice. He probably should be more concerned about that but for now, he had bigger problems.

I Prescelti Sette. The world's seven strongest Flame users. One of the three components that were essential for maintaining the balance of reality itself… and he was missing the most important part of the set.

Any other rotation and this wouldn't have been too much of a problem. He still had six months to find a replacement for the Sky before the pacifier had to be passed on to a new host. Plenty of time for Kawahira to find another Sky, only… there were no others.

His paranoia regarding this particular set meant that he had already tested every active Sky user, and even the more powerful of the latent ones, before even approaching Luce.

It was the strength of the individual elements that was causing this, he could see that now.

One of the key factors that held each part of the Tri-Ni-Sette together was the Harmonising aspect provided by the Sky Flames. There had to be at least some level of synchronization between the Flames of the set, even if it wasn't a full Harmonization, but the elements of this generation were just too strong. There wasn't a Sky strong enough of holding them all which, in turn, meant there was no Sky strong enough to resonate with the pacifiers.

If the world survived this, he was going to have to change the order in which he did things. This couldn't be allowed to happen again. That being said, this wasn't the _first_ time that such an incident had occurred leading to Sepira… but no. That wasn't an option this time.

What did the humans say about learning from the past?

Still, what was he to do now? What was there left that he _could _do? With the powerful sources they had already been promised this time, there was no chance that he would be able to convince the pacifiers to accept lesser hosts, but without the Sky element they wouldn't be able to function properly.

To be honest, Kawahira was so close to simply saying 'Screw It All' and simply allowing the world to burn. After all, what was there for him to really live on for?

After Sepira had left, breaking their bond and leaving him alone so that she could live, then later die, amongst the humans. After he had truly become the last of his race… what was there to look forward to other than countless years spent in solitude as the cycle repeated time and again.

It had been so long and he was growing so tired… If the Tri-Ni-Sette was going to behave like a spoiled child throwing away its toys, why did he have to do anything to stop it?

If he just allowed this to happen… if he just let this be, would he finally be able to join his family in the afterlife?

Slipping the artefact into a coat pocket he turned to leave, fully intending to toss it into the first river he passed, only to freeze when the image of Sepira's disappointed face flashed through his mind.

No. It wasn't going to work this time!

If she hadn't wanted this to happen then she never should have left the responsibility in his hands.

She was the one who loved the humans. Not him.

He wasn't going to do this just to make the mere _memory _of her proud.

He wasn't her guardian anymore. He didn't need to listen. He… was going to have to find a solution to this problem, wasn't he?

Mentally cursing Sepira, humans and the entirety of the Tri-Ni-Sette to the very depths of whatever hell existed, Kawahira took a step back, calling his Flames around him as he moved so that his next step landed him on the dusty wooden floor of his shop.

It only took a few more steps for him to move into his office where he was greeted by seven cushions, all the colours of the rainbow that were mounted on innately carved, stone pillars and arranged in a circle with the orange plinth in the centre. It was onto this one that he dropped the pacifier from his pocket, leaving it to mock him from its throne as he slowly begin to take dust caked books from the surrounding bookshelves.

He had work to do.

* * *

3 more hours and the sun would rise.

The words were simple, but he clung to them.

3 more hours and the sun would rise.

Maybe then the wind would die down and the constant chill would finally go away. Maybe then his Uncle would finally forgive him for spilling the bleach on the living room carpet when the fumes had made him so dizzy that the world had spun before his eyes. Maybe then he would finally be allowed back into the house.

He didn't hold out much hope, but even a little hope was better than nothing.

Freak didn't know exactly how long he had been forced to stay out here but he did know that it was _too_ long. With every minute he spent curled and trembling in the damp corner of the garden shed, clinging to the rags reserved for cleaning the windows in a desperate attempt to conserve heat, the little flame that had flickered in his chest for as long as he could remember dimmed.

At first, being locked out of the house hadn't really been a problem. Even if it was late December, he had managed worse before. It had even been fun, to watch the snow fall as the pure white was lit up by the pretty coloured lights that decorated Privet Drive. From here he could even imagine the magic that he had heard parents tell other children of at this time of year, every shifting shadow was the hiding spot for a playful elf and the sounds of the roof settling where the footsteps of Santa and his Reindeer.

The night drew on however, as the temperature dropped and the smells of multiple Christmas dinners first filled the air, then faded to nothing, Freak had retreated to his corner. Now he was curled into the smallest ball he could manage as he just waited for it to be over.

Bad boys didn't get presents from Santa. Useless freeloaders didn't get to ask for kindness. Freaks knew that it was useless to dream of anything better. Even so… it was just so _cold_. Even though he had endured this before, the little orange flame working to keep him warm throughout the night, it just couldn't manage it this time. A fire couldn't survive without food and Freak hadn't eaten in days.

As it was, the cold that had long since sunk into his bones had shifted to the point that it was beginning to burn, though he still didn't feel any warmer. Instead, Freak was simply forced to lay there, shivering violently as he was burned alive and, for the first time, he prayed.

'Please Mr. Santa, sir. I know that I don't get to talk to you, that I don't get to ask you anything, but I really need your help. I know I don't deserve it, but please let me have a home.

Please. Don't be angry, I know I'm ungrateful, I know I have more than I deserve with my Aunt and Uncle, but the other children get to have a family. They get to be warm and loved and safe… couldn't I have that, even for a little while?

I promise I'll do as I'm told. I'll do all my chores, and I won't make any mistakes so please Santa… please…'

Squeezing his eyes tightly shut and clasping his hands firmly to his chest, Freak prayed, over and over again, but every time he opened his eyes, he was still greeted by the same sight as the time before. Nothing changed and, at just 2 hours before the sun would rise, he stopped.

With the fire building in his arms and legs he finally gave up and just allowed himself to fall limp on the rotting floorboards as the flame in his chest all but went out. Such a pity, if he had managed to stay awake for even half a minute longer, he would have seen the indigo flames that reached from the ground to cradle his own.

As the boy slept, these new flames petted and stroked the tiny orange spark in their midst, slowly coaxing it back to life before wrapping around them completely as they began to _pull. _

Glimmering with something both dark and ancient, the indigo flames flared to a brightness that flooded the tiny shed before quickly fading away, leaving behind an empty shed and a tide of chaos that would wrack a country for years to come.

* * *

When he had first found the ritual hidden in one of the oldest books of his library, Kawahira had been sceptic. If such a thing had been possible before, then why had Sepira seen fit to abandon him instead of using it herself? Had she not known or had she simply been that desperate to get away?

No, she had never been the most patient of people, with a bleeding heart five sizes too large for her chest. It was likely that she hadn't even bothered to look for an alternative solution once she had figured out that she could fit the role.

Still, how was he supposed to trust a ritual that promised something as vague as 'an answer to your prayers'? Desperation, it seems, is the answer to many questions.

For something that had the potential to be so powerful, it really hadn't been that hard for him to gather all the necessary items, though that could be because of his fascination with what the humans so irritatingly dubbed 'useless antiques'. Still, it had been with a month to spare that he had finally placed everything into the ritualistic circle that he had made sure to draw to exacting standards, and began feeding his flames to where they were needed.

At first it had seemed that nothing was happening, the circle had simply drained his Flames at an alarming rate without giving him any sign that it was actually _doing _something with them but, just as he was about to wrench himself away, he had felt it.

If he hadn't been so focused on his Flames, he would have missed the tiny, barely there spark of Sky Flames so pure that they made his teeth _ache. _But he was, and he didn't, so instead of pulling back, he forced more of his Mist into the circle, grabbing a tight hold of the alarmingly weakened Sky and pull them to him.

He had been forced to abandon his first attempt as his indigo Flames threatened to smother the orange ones in their hold, so fragile and weak it was like gripping a hummingbird's wing. Then, some hidden remnants of his old Guardian instincts, long ago left for dead, must have flared to life as he found himself gently soothing the baby flames while slowly feeding them his own in an attempt to keep them alive. It had actually been much harder than he had expected to ignore the gentle call of Harmony that lingered in these Flames, weak as they were, but this would not, _could not, _be his Sky. Instead, he had only stoked the foreign Flames to the point that they would, probably, survive the trip, before yanking them harshly back towards himself.

A freezing weight landing in his outstretched arms was enough for Kawahira to open his eyes, only for him to close them again in something akin to resigned horror.

A child.

The ritual had brought him a _child. _One who couldn't be more than six years old at most.

A child who was far too light, yet sat like a block of ice in his arms as the pacifier shone brighter than he had ever seen it manage before.

Absently, he began to rub his hands up and down the arms of the baby Sky as he began to take stock of the situation.

The ritual had worked, at least. It had definitely brought him the answer to his 'prayer' with the little boy with too pure Flames and a strength that couldn't be denied even in their weakened state. But at the same time… how was he supposed to get the rest of the Arcobaleno to accept such a young and, frankly _broken, _boy as their Sky?

Broken.

The more he looked at the little human in his arms, the more the word seemed to apply. Even disregarding the boy's temperature, which was so far beyond hypothermic it wasn't even funny, the boy was in a bad state. There were bruises scattered across all visible skin and the slight rasp on each breath spoke of infection if not internal injuries. Whoever had held custody of the boy before had certainly made a mess.

Would it even be possible to keep him alive long enough to tie him to the curse?

His thoughts were interrupted when the boy stirred slightly, the shift of his freezing head to rest against Kawahira's bear neck enough to make the Earthling jolt back to reality. As distracted as he was, it took a moment for him to realise that there was a pair of hazy verdant eyes blinking up at him. Truth was, he probably wouldn't have noticed even then if it wasn't for the soft question all but breathed into his ear.

"Santa?"

Even in that one word he could hear the trace of a lisp and with those green, _green _eyes staring up at him with such hope… gods above this kid was adorable. And the Sky attraction…

Shuddering, Kawahira attempted to shift away even as his treacherous Flames fought to bring the boy _closer._

No. This was _not _his Sky.

But, perhaps… if Kawahira played his cards right… he could be the Arcobaleno's. Yes. This would work.

He hoped.


	2. The Gathering of six?

**A/N: Here it is, as promised. The response to this was much greater than I was expecting, so thank you all for that ^_^. Anyway, not sure if there will be another chapter tomorrow or if I'm going to resurrect one of my older stories so... watch this space I guess?**

* * *

Why had he ever thought that a month was plenty of time again? Surely he should have known not to tempt fate any more than he already had this year? Hadn't he learned better by now?

Apparently not.

Completely oblivious to the problems he was causing for the Earthling, the baby Sky continued to sleep in the bed Kawahira had placed him in three weeks and five days ago. He currently had two days left before the meeting of the Strongest Seven and the boy had yet to remain conscious for longer than a handful of minutes at a time. At least the boy's fever had finally broken a couple of hours ago, leaving the human sleeping more than unconscious at this point. Small mercies and all that…

For the last three weeks, Kawahira had been given plenty of time to plot out his next move as he stood vigil at the side of the baby Sky, his infuriating instincts refusing to allow him to leave for anything other than necessities.

At first he had planned on letting the boy sleep off his exhaustion while bringing his body temperature back up to acceptable levels for an active Flame user which generally rested about a degree or two above that of a normal human. After letting the kid settle, he would then begin to induct him slowly into the world of the Mafia, a topic that would probably be easily accepted by the boy if what his agitated Flames hissed at him was to be believed. Having been spread throughout their surroundings while searching for the Sky, they had come in contact with all the other inhabitants of the little town where the boy had resided and the image that had formed from the thoughts of those closest to him was not… well, it wasn't good.

Once he had ensured that his new charge had adjusted, if only a little, to his new reality, Kawahira had fully intended to throw the boy to his new Guardians and just leave them to it. With the purity of these Flames, and the sheer strength of the Sky Attraction that surrounded the boy even now, there was little doubt that he would have been well taken care of by the gathered Elements. It was in their nature after all.

It was common knowledge amongst Flame users that, what any Element desired, on the most instinctive level, was the security of a bond to a Sky capable of holding them. This was true even for Kawahira, arguably the strongest Flame Active in existence, even if he had already tasted the benefits of Harmony, and it went doubly so for the lone Elements that he had gathered. No one ever got to be that strong without fully embracing their instincts which must have been practically _aching _for a bond, no matter how much their conscious minds denied it.

Human's were such petty creatures, so obsessed with pride that they would rather do themselves harm than bow to what nature demanded.

So yes, his first plan had been to just lock the seven of them in a room together and allow nature to take its course. It would have worked too, only… the boy didn't wake.

It had taken just over a day for Kawahira to become concerned but, in his defence, he was not an expert on the sleeping patterns of human children. Still, as the hours passed and the boy failed to even stir, the Earthling had finally pulled out of his continued research for _yet another _solution to his Sky problem and, upon approaching the figure on the bed, had promptly panicked.

He may not have been an expert on human physiology, but even he knew that you weren't supposed to feel their body heat from a foot away.

A frantic search for answers later (which may or may not have ended with him being cooed over by the women in the town he had taken up residence in as they commended him for how much he apparently loved his 'baby brother') he returned with far too many medicines and a stash of cool packs which he immediately tore into.

What followed were several frantic hours of forcing the strange mixtures down the throat of the clearly hallucinating child (honestly, who was this 'Santa' and why was the boy so sure that Kawahira was him?) and even then there was little improvement. He had nearly resorted to putting together some of the remedies he remembered from his own childhood, only for his Flames to violently rebel as he went to leave the room.

That was going to be a problem later, but he wasn't going to think about that now. He didn't have time.

Slowly the week passed and, when the Sky still showed no signs of waking, he had been forced to reconsider his plans. It was unlikely that the boy was going to magically get better, so the time he would have to explain things was cut impossibly short. A month was already going to be pushing it if he wanted the child to be well adjusted, and there was still no guarantee that he was going to wake at all.

The second plan was to throw the boy at the Giglo Nero Donna and allow her to fix the problem. The faint traces of Flame that he had left to monitor the potential host were telling him that she was already beginning to get suspicious of the deviation from the expected timeline. It would have been very little effort on his part to simply explain things to Luce and then leave her to pick up the pieces. It had all the makings of a perfect solution:

The Giglio Nero would have access to the Sun Flames that he was beginning to suspect would be needed in the treatment of the baby Sky, and they would be willing to provide them. Luce may be young, but she was a shrewd woman. She would never turn down the chance to keep the Sky Arcobelano within her Famiglia. After all, if she couldn't take the curse herself, then adopting the one who could would be the best way of ensuring their control over the power it granted.

This solution would, objectively, be the best one for the boy too. If he was going to be a member of the Strongest Seven, and Kawahira had invested far too much time into him for this not to be the case, then he could only benefit from having the backing of such a well established Famiglia. If nothing else, the name alone would put him on a slightly more equal standing when he finally met his Guardians. Even if they could not respect the boy, they would respect the name…

And the best of all, it would allow Kawahira to step back into the role of spectator he had inhabited for the whole time he had been the Administrator of the Tri-Ni-Sette. Distant and unattached, just like he was meant to be.

Yes, it truly was the best solution for all involved… if only his Flames agreed.

With his very life force itself keeping him leashed to the boy's sick bed he was left with little else to do but seethe. He did not want, nor did he need a new Sky, and no matter how much his Flames hissed and spit at him, he kept them tightly bound inside his body.

Still, the time had ticked on and he had not been able to find a single plan that he was actually willing, or capable of carrying out. He had simply been stuck, waiting, for the boy to wake up.

He would have thought that the breaking of the boy's fever would have allowed his instincts to finally relax, but it had only seemed to make them tense further. Looking at the small figure that was made even smaller when placed in the centre of a large bed and covered in a mountain of sheets, the Earthling couldn't help but flinch.

Murky grey skin. Ragged breaths that came in sharp pants like that of a startled rabbit. Even the thin sheen of sweat that was still present on all the visible stretches of skin… the Sky was getting worse.

Despite how Kawahira's Flames and instincts were screaming at him, desperate and panicked, that he had to keep the boy close, had to treat them on his own without introducing any more threats to the boy when he was in such a weakened state, the Earthling had to admit that he was out of his depth here. Though this did present him with an interesting possibility…

Kawahira hated it, but perhaps this was the only true way forward. Humans did so like broken things to put back together after all.

* * *

When Fon had first been approached by the being (not a man, there was far too much power there for him to be remotely Human) known as Checkerface, he had been sceptical. Who wouldn't be?

Ask anyone who had been raised in the criminal underworld and they would be able to tell you stories of I Prescelti Sette. The world's Strongest Seven were the favourite bedtime story for Mafia children of all ages, the tales of their extraordinary feats enough to inspire admiration and interest the world over. But they were always that, tales.

No one would ever be able to tell you the name of one of the so called 'Strongest'. No one could truly claim to know their origins, or their faces. The Strongest Seven were the urban myth of the underworld, everyone loved their stories, but no one ever thought that they were true.

Then along came this being with the sole purpose of inviting Fon to a meeting. Offering him a place amongst legends…

He would have been a fool to miss the red flags raised by such an offer. And yet…

There was another side to the stories, something beyond the action and death toll that held the fascination of the younger generations. The older you got, the more I Prescelti Sette began to feel like a civilian Fairy Tale. Not with the cliché of Prince Charming saving the Princess so they could live happily ever after, but of the notion of a perfect Harmony.

The feats attributed to the Strongest Seen were amazing, and possible only because they were such strong Flame wielders all Harmonized with the same Sky, working in tandem to achieve a common goal. And Fon _wanted _that.

He wanted to experience the rush of belonging that had seen his sister so desperate to leave their life in Triads behind that she had faked her own death, hiding herself from even him as followed her oblivious Sky back to her home in Japan.

He wanted to feel the true and whole acceptance that was supposed to come hand in hand with a Guardian bond. His Flames ached for it.

There had been a time, when he was still a journey man assassin in the Triads, still honing the skills that now had him invited to such a prestigious group, when he had thought himself to have found it.

A young girl, Ty Lee, who had smiled at him so sweetly, her Flames reaching for his own in such a way that he had allowed himself to hope, only for it to turn to dread the moment that he had reached back and she had _screamed._

After that, no matter what he tried, it had seemed hopeless:

His Flames were too wild, so he had learned restraint. Throwing himself into meditation and calming katas to the point he had earned the name 'Eye of the Storm'.

His Flames were too harsh. It had taken him many years of training, cradling first raw eggs, then small animals, then even the most delicate tissue paper until he could make his touch as light as lotus petals, his presence a soothing downpour as opposed to the tempestuous thunder of his youth.

His Flames were too strong…

Whereas the other factors had been walls in his quest to find a home, this last one was more akin to a mountain. Sturdy and immovable, it would not be ignored. He could change everything else about his Flames, but their strength? The strength of his Will? The Strength of his very _soul? _To even attempt to change them would be to change the core of who he was as a person. Even for the fabled Harmony he couldn't bring himself to do that.

So it was that Fon had long ago put aside the dream of being able to claim the title of Guardian, throwing himself into his work with the Triads until he had reached the very pinnacle of their power structure. If he could not have a Famiglia, then he would fight to keep his Family, even if that meant achieving a reputation so feared that no one would even dream of looking for his wayward sister if her ruse was ever to be discovered. If this was all he was going to get, then he would make sure that no one would ever take this away from him too.

And then Checkerface came.

It was a trap. It had to be a trap. There was no way it could be anything else.

Still… if there was a chance, small as it may be, that there was Sky strong enough to not only catch him, but to hold him too… he couldn't just walk away from this.

The meeting was to be held in a small villa hidden deep in one of the neutral territories of Italy, and it was here that Fon found himself becoming acquainted with what was probably the most eclectic mix of personalities he had ever encountered in one place.

When he had arrived, a good hour or so before the meeting time just to be sure, there had only been two others with him. They had entered the room at roughly the same time, keeping to the edges while eyeing the round table before them in silence. There was no need for introductions, there were very few who managed to get so high up in their world without learning who the key players were, so he had only spared a polite nod for the World's Greatest Hitman and Information Broker before returning his eyes to their venue.

The room itself was sparsely decorated, much the same as the rest of the house they had passed through so far, leaving the round table and surrounding chairs as the only point of real interest.

It was obvious from the colour coding of the chairs where they were expected to sit and Fon had a hard time keeping his calm mask when he noticed that the arrangement was that of the stereotypical Harmony.

At what was arguably the 'head' of the table and the most protected position, was a padded, burnt orange chair that was undoubtedly intended for the Sky of their group. Curiously it seemed as though this chair was slightly smaller than those around it, a direct contrast to the almost throne like seats that was normally preferred for the 'rulers' of the Mafia.

On either side of the Sky were the emerald Lightning and golden Sun settings. Who else to keep with the boss than the Shield and the Healer after all.

In the centre were a powder blue and a shadow steeped indigo. The Rain in the perfect place to sooth them all, and the Mist placed in the best position to both give and receive protection.

Which left the violet seat and Fon's own scarlet setting the closest ones to the entrance points. The Cloud and Storm acting as a bulwark against any invading forces.

It was a well known formation, one often used when a Harmony was entering into foreign or uncertain territory, and the martial artist had to fight down both a smile of glee and a shiver of dread at the sight of it. On the one hand, this had all but confirmed his suspicions as to the nature of the set, and wasn't that enough to make him want to fidget in impatience.

On the other, there was now even more likely that they were being set up. For what, he didn't know, but it couldn't be anything good.

For a long time the three of them just stood there, eyeing the room warily even when they had already completed their inspections. None of them wanted to risk triggering any hidden traps by taking their places, but neither could they show weakness to the others by leaving. The stalemate continued for a long while before the Hitman Reborn gave a quiet hum before moving to sprawl bonelessly in his assigned seat. To an outsider, the move would have appeared to be the height of arrogance, but Fon could see the controlled tension in every line of the Italian, could almost taste the searing Sun flames that bubbled just beneath his skin as he prepared himself for a quick exit.

When nothing happened after a moment, Fon moved to take his own place, noting Viper float over to their shadowed corner as he did so. Tension flooded the room once more only to bleed out ten minutes later when there was still no change and the three began to relax once more, well, as much as they could, given the circumstances.

As the appointed time drew closer, a dark haired woman stepped into the room, her every movement screaming 'Military' from the rigid positioning of her shoulders to the heavy tread of her gait as she moved to take the position as Rain. He didn't recognize her, but given her background, it wasn't suprising.

Given her well hidden glances out of the nearest window, it was also obvious that she didn't come alone but as long as her backup remained outside and uninvolved, Fon resolved to ignore them for now.

The next to enter was a slim, green haired man draped in a pristine lab coat who seemed to both glare at them all and look through them at the same time as he took the seat across from Reborn. This one he knew, if only by reputation. The Neo Davinci, Verde. A mad scientist if ever he had heard of one, far more interested in his machines and chemicals than in other human beings, which begged the question of why exactly he decided to come at all.

Then there was the … Cloud? Loud and vibrant, the young man all but bounced into the room, bringing to mind the image of an over excited puppy. Despite the Flames that blazed brightly in the boy's eyes and practically choked the air around him, he could not have been any further from the standard image of the aloof protector normally assigned to his Flame type. Hell, Fon was almost sure that the lad beside him would have started some babbling conversation to match his cheerful grin if Reborn hadn't chosen that moment to fire a warning shot past his ear. Instead, it was with a face paler than even the white makeup he covered it in and a look of sheer panic that the boy all but fell into his own chair, conveniently the one furthest away from the irritated Sun.

A civilian? How curious.

And then there was one.

As the seconds ticked by, the gathered Elements all began to get twitchy, feeding off the rising tension of the others as they all subconsciously felt that 'something was coming' yet that something had yet to arrive.

More time passed and Fon had to force down a frown.

Where was the Sky? Where was the one that was the sole reason for the presence of at least half of the assembled fighters? Sure, the actual award that had been promised to them was an obscene amount of money, but they were all capable of reading between the lines, they knew what to expect. Only, with every passing second those expectations were being challenged and that only escalated the feeling of suppressed violence in the room. If something didn't change soon then it was highly likely that it was going to boil over, especially with the way the civilian was beginning to shift in place.

At the exact second of the appointed time, they all surged to their feet as a cloud of Mist Flames surged around the door, their stances only tightening when it cleared to reveal a familiar figure but . Still. No . Sky.

"Ah, I see you're all here. Right on time too."

The tone was as apathetic as it had been when the creature had first appeared to him, but Fon could almost believe that there was an undercurrent of something else that he couldn't identify, but which put his teeth on edge all the same.

Checkerface paused for a moment, possibly expecting some form of response or interruption from them, but when nothing was forthcoming, he straightened. His next words somehow managed to take on an authoritative tone even while remaining completely uncaring.

"As you've noticed, this meeting is one with a complete Sky Set or, at least, it will be. To take on the title of the Strongest Seven, you will have to prove yourselves to the world. As such, you have been commissioned to complete a series of missions that you will be given the details of at a later date. This you already know. Before you can begin them however, I will need to see if you are even capable of working together at all. For this, I've arranged a little test.

It seems like the Sky representative had an accident on his way here. You'll have to find him if you want to continue and get the money you were promised. He should be somewhere in the surrounding woodland but I suggest you hurry, I hear it gets very cold around here after nightfall and you only have a few hours left."

That said, the being disappeared in another swirl of Mist, narrowly dodging a sparking bullet from the Hitman that left a suspiciously large hole in the wall where his head had been.

In his absence, the gathered Elements were left frozen in the silence, trying desperately to process the current situation and the mess it was going to quickly become.


	3. Hide and Seek

**A/n: Oh, wow, this chapter just kept going! I could have stopped it at just around 3000 words like normal, but I figured that I would be nice and keep going. Though I have to admit that Skull is quickly becoming one of my favourite characters to write.**

**Some translation notes:**

**Reborn - basically, he says 'My God' and calls Skull a 'brat'**

**Skull - Romanian, pretty much just 'God above'.**

**Hope you enjoy.**

* * *

Powerful he may be, but it had still taken Kawahira more than a little effort in order to dodge the bullet fired at him from the aggravated Sun. As it was, he would be feeling the burning graze on his cheek for a good few hours to come, the Flames imbued in the bullet itself having seeped into the wound from even the slight contact making it reluctant to heal. Still, the message had been delivered, and with all the pieces now in place, all that was left for him to do was sit back and watch.

After taking a moment to regain his bearings, the Earthling all but rushed back to the room he had converted into a minor territory a month ago, flinging it open to reveal the small figure that was still laying peacefully in the king sized bed, exactly as he had left him. No matter how much he tried to ignore it, he couldn't quite deny the bands that loosened around his chest at the sight. If he wanted this plan to succeed, he would now have to move the boy to a place where he could be found by his Guardians. Once there, he would be completely out of the Mists hands and Kawahira could finally go back to his normal life. No more pressing responsibilities for at least another decade. Still, he hesitated.

Given the personalities of the assembled Elements, it would be some time yet before they even began their search… he was not going to run the risk of leaving the baby Sky out in the woods for that long. It would be simply too much effort to replace him at this stage…

Gently smoothing the downy soft hair back from the boy's forehead, he tried not to frown. The kid's temperature had fallen even more. If it continued like this, then it wouldn't be long before it was back to the frigid feel it had had when he had first pulled the boy from the ritual circle. It was really beginning to look like there was nothing else for it but to hand him over to the mercies of the Arcobaleno.

Despite what many would believe, the world's most infamous Hitman was actually one of the best trained healers in the world. Even if the man did go to great lengths to hide it. A Sun was a Sun after all, and the primary setting of their Flames was to heal.

Later, Kawahira wouldn't be able to say how long he stayed there, gently petting the trembling child in the bed, but eventually, a bell like alarm sounded throughout the shop and he sighed. It looked like the Arcobaleno were finally ready to hunt. It was time to give them something to find. But not without a few tricks however. Even if he accepted the fact that this was for the best, it didn't mean that he would make it easy on them.

If they wanted his baby Sky, they were going to have to work for him.

* * *

The offer, and the man who had offered it, had been a strange one, though it wasn't the strangest that Skull had ever been given. Having lived amongst gypsies and circus folk for almost as long as he could remember, the Stuntman had never exactly been one to venerate the law, though he wasn't really one to openly flaunt it either. Still, when he had learned that he would be expected to work amongst those from, less than savoury professions, he had barely bat an eye. A job was a job after all and, despite his recent success on the daredevil and stunt scenes, a part of him would always be the little street rat who had nearly starved to death if he hadn't been found by some kind hearted travellers.

He would never be in that situation again, no matter what he had to do to ensure it.

Even so, that didn't mean he couldn't take precautions.

The Immortal Skull de Mort, world's most famous Stuntman. A lot of people didn't realize exactly how much effort went into first gaining, then keeping that title. Or the skill that it took to even be a contender.

When Checkerface had approached him after one of his daredevil shows, it had been obvious from the get go that the man had been completely taken in by the eccentric personality that had always sold so well to the fans, as such, Skull hadn't really seen the need to correct him.

Skull may not have been an actor, but he was a showman. He knew how to read people, knew how to play to their expectations so they saw exactly as much as they wanted to see. Even if he lacked the skills to completely reinvent himself, to erase what made him who he was in order to become someone else for a little while, he knew how to tweak his personality. Knew to emphasise his natural cockiness, his cheerful nature, to play up the bizarrely energetic façade that always got the crowd screaming.

Skull new a lot of things. Not least how to make sure that no one else ever found out that he did.

Fully prepared to remain in character for the duration of the meeting, he had made sure to 'arrive' only ten minutes before the appointed time. Even if he had been lingering in the forest for a good two hours before even the man in the tailored suit had arrived, there was no need for them to know that.

From his place high up in one of the older trees, he had watched six other people arrive, though curiously one had chosen to remain outside, moving through the underbrush in a way that was making Skull twitchy just watching him. One by one they had entered into the house and, when there was no sign of any others arriving, or anything else happening really, he had slipped around behind the blond and sauntered down the gravel road that led to the villa.

Once inside he had taken a very quick second to read the people around the waiting table and, judging the Chinese man in red to be the one least aggravated by his presence, he had been all set to establish himself as the likable, if annoying, young man, right up until he felt a bullet brush past his ear.

This wasn't the first time he had been shot at, but it wasn't a common occurrence either and the knowledge of just how easy it was to slip even slightly when aiming a handgun of that size was enough to see him collapsing into the open purple chair beside him. Even if he did heal much faster than normal people, it didn't mean that he wanted to be shot again, he wasn't a masochist.

Trying to take his mind off of the threat in front of him, the Stuntman went back to analysing the rest of those gathered around the table. Surprisingly, despite his late entrance, Skull wasn't the last person to arrive. The chair immediately next to Face McShooty was still empty, though maybe that was because it was better suited to a kid than for the too tall people gathered in the room.

Next one over was someone who Skull was going to be doing his level best to keep his distance from. A real Frankenstein if ever he met one.

Then there was a creepy figure in a hooded cloak who seemed to be trying to become one with the shadows. And the still smiling red guy was to Skull's immediate left, leaving the last chair to be filled by the only woman of their group, though he doubted that would be a problem. The aura of controlled power she was giving off should be enough to stop anyone from doing anything stupid.

That being said, the feeling of barely suppressed bloodlust that seemed to be radiating from all of the rooms inhabitants was frankly terrifying. Thankfully, before he could give in to his nervous tick and start making truly horrible jokes to try and ease the tension, someone else appeared, sending the others up and out of their seats in a heartbeat. Recognizing Checkerface's frame through the weird haze, Skull soon followed suit. There was a part of him that instinctively recoiled at the thought of giving this man any sort of advantage over him, and Skull had long since learned to trust his instincts.

Checkerface began to lay out some more details about their job, explaining that their final team member must have got lost or something, but clearly there had been something in that spiel that Skull had missed as, the next thing he knew, McShooty had let off another shot, and Jesus Christ that was a lot of damage. Then Cherckerface was gone and the tension from before returned, only, ten times worse than it was before. Yeah… definitely missed something.

Trusting his previous assessment, he wandered back to the man in red, poking him slightly in the arm when it looked like the man was too lost in his own thoughts to register his presence. The reaction was immediate, and if Skull had been half a second slower in jerking away, he might well have lost his arm. The other man was quick to apologize, the serene smile from before falling back onto his face, but Skull knew what he saw. No matter how restrained the instincts were, this man was just as dangerous as the others here. Just what had he stumbled into?

"Hey… what's going on? What did he mean about the sky?"

He had made sure to speak quietly, not wanting to draw the attention of the others, but it seemed like they had heard him regardless as the next second he was being treated to a range of blank and disbelieving looks.

"Mio Dio! You really don't know?"

McShooty looked like he wanted to say more, but that the words just wouldn't come out. Instead, he turned to stare out the window hissing what Skull was pretty sure were enough Italian swears to make a sailor's ears close up. Well, it wasn't like he had been expecting any answers from him anyway. Next to him, the red man sighed.

"What you're asking has an answer that will take longer to explain than we have right now. As it is, just think of the Sky as the equivalent of Royalty for people like us, and now the one meant for our group is missing."

Well… that raised more questions than it answered, but at least it explained why everyone was suddenly so jumpy. Still, if this 'Sky' was really so important, why were they all just standing around? Checkerface had even told them that it wouldn't be safe to keep searching after dark so surely it would make sense to start searching as soon as possible.

"Then why are well still here? Let's get looking!"

This time he didn't manage to move fast enough to dodge the bullet heading his way, leaving him with quite a deep scratch on his cheek that promptly burst into purple flames as it healed in record time. For a moment the others simply stared at him in open shock (and he was going to have to work extra hard to stay away from Dr Creepy if that look in his eyes was to be believed) before Skull's instinctive defences popped up and he hid behind the person closest to him, letting out a loud scream for added affect.

"What was that for?!"

The best way to hide something unnatural? Distraction, distraction, distraction. Going by the disgust beginning to seep into the bearings of the others, the old tactic had worked once again. McShooty himself just twitched for a second before bringing the gun up again, attempting to aim around Skull's human shield who, thankfully, didn't even blink (he knew he liked the red guy for a reason).

"Stop talking monello and let the adults work."

Really? He was really going to take that tone with him?

"Maybe I would, if you were actually doing something. All I see is you just standing there like a lost puppy!"

Ah, that had probably not been a good thing to say, the aura around McShooty suddenly shot straight to murderous and the glare he was being given was enough that Skull would swear that he could feel his blood beginning to boil. Then the man took a step towards him and he could swear that he saw his whole life flash before his eyes. Thankfully, that was the moment that Skull's Angel stepped forwards.

"Let it go. As the Storm said, we don't have much time here, we shouldn't waste it on infighting."

At her words, it was like everyone relaxed all at once, as if a cold blanket had been dropped into the room, pushing down the tension to the point where it was almost non-existent. Skull couldn't help his instinctive shudder, that was a terrifying ability.

"And what would you suggest we do Mirch?"

The woman, Mirch apparently, flinched at the comment, thought Skull really couldn't blame her. He had pretty much forgotten that the cloaked… person was even in the room with them, so having them suddenly interrupt from where they were still half hidden in the (surely unnatural) shadows of the room was disturbing.

"Obviously, we do as the Cloud suggested, and start looking."

Skull figured that she had to be referring to him, though what was with these people and weather names? Was it a thing that he just wasn't getting? And why was he a cloud anyway? Skull would have thought himself to have more of a sunny personality if anything…

"And how would you suggest we do that? Even if the six of us split up, there is too much land in the potential search area for us to cover. And if one of us should find the Sky, how would we let the other's know? This one is obviously useless, I doubt he'd even know how to flare his own Flames, let alone notice if one of us did it."

Hey, he was not useless thank you very much, and he really hated being talked about as though he wasn't there. Yes, he was obviously missing something really important that the others were already aware of, but he could still help!

"Why do you even care? Are you all so desperate for Harmony that you would pant after any Sky that crossed your path?"

A cold monotone that could only come from Dr. Creepy and finally the murderous look was no longer aimed at Skull. Instead, McShooty looked as though he was trying to make Creepy spontaneously combust, not that he was very successful. For some reason, a small part of Skull seemed disappointed at that.

"So you would risk angering whichever Famiglia has claimed him then Verde? How brave of you."

Wait, Famiglia? As in, the Mafia? Hold the train, Skull had signed up for working with a group of free lance criminals, not the world's most infamous crime syndicate. He was beginning to think that he was really in over his head here. In contrast, Verde (and couldn't the man have picked a less imaginative moniker) seemed completely relaxed to the point that he actually snorted.

"What Famiglia? If this Sky managed to find trouble in neutral territory then it is unlikely that they have any real protection detail ergo, they are unaffiliated."

"Either that, or they are working with our employer."

Everyone went silent at that, considering the new possibility put forward by the Italian. That… was actually reassuring. If this really was a test, then this 'sky' wouldn't be in any real danger, which removes a lot of pressure from them. At the same time however, if they working together, why would they do this? Sure Checkerface had said he wanted to see how well they worked as a group (before promptly leaving which means he must have had some form of surveillance installed) but surely there were better ways to do this?

"Either way, we will not be receiving payment unless the Sky is found and since I have already expended the time and effort to get here, you will all be reimbursing me if you make this job fall through."

From his position still half crouched behind Captain Scarlet, Skull was in the perfect position to see both Verde and the Gunslinger just barely suppress grimaces. Clearly this was far more of a threat than he had figured it to be.

"That still doesn't answer the question of logistics."

Mirch looked to be about 100% done with them at this point, but at least the others looked like they were finally going to do something so Skull wasn't all that bothered. He had always been more a man of action than of words.

For a moment everyone went quiet as they all, assumedly, attempted to figure out a solution to this final problem, but Skull gave up pretty quickly. He was obviously out of the loop for something big, and he wasn't the best when it came to any technology that he wasn't able to take apart and examine first, so he doubted that there would be any answer coming from his end. To pass the time, he instead focused on Dr. Creepy (Verde was just too boring) who was:

Sat right in front of him and,

Pulling one of the most interesting faces Skull had ever seen.

It only took a few seconds of staring before he started twitching before finally breaking into a scowl.

"Fine! I figured something like this might happen so I brought some devices that might work. Take one of these buttons and press it if you find anything, it will make all the others flash and lead them to your location, just stop staring at me like that."

Hah, how's that for useless Mr suave Mafia man?

Three hours later and Skull was seriously beginning to regret each and every one of his life choices that had led him to this point. By now the sun had well and truly set and Checkerface had not been lying when he said that the nights here were cold. Wasn't Italy supposed to be in the Mediterranean? Why was he able to see his breath misting up the air in front of him?

When everyone at the meeting had finally agreed to go out and search the woods, they had all taken their own directions before disappearing into the trees without a word. He guessed they were all using their super secret techniques or something to help them look, but for Skull's part he had simply chosen a random direction and just started walking, changing his path whenever he felt the urge to. No, it wasn't the most scientific of methods, but Skull trusted his instincts, if this 'sky' was in his assigned area then he would find him.

As useful as his instincts were for finding something he was looking for however, they were not nearly as useful when it came to warning him about loose rocks, low hanging branches, protruding roots, or anything else that would send him crashing to the ground. In fact, he could have sworn that they were deliberately leading him into every pothole they could find in the dark just for the hell of it. When this was all over, he would have to have words with his intuition, but for now he would just settle for trying to get all of the leaves out of his badly knotted hair before the mud set and glued them in place.

He was so focused on trying to pull a particularly entangled twig free from his scalp that he failed to notice yet another flat stone that his instincts forgot to warn him about. One second he was taking another cautious step forward into the unknown, and the next he was sent tumbling down a steep embankment that he could have sworn wasn't here a moment ago.

After a minute straight of half sliding, half rolling down the hill, and a small shriek that he would never admit to, he finally reached the bottom. It took a bit for the world to settle back into place once again, which wasn't helped by his entire body deciding to register as one giant bruise to his senses, but when he eventually managed to regain his bearings, Skull registered two things.

First, it was now absolutely freezing, to the point that he could feel his skin start to prickle even under the thick leather of his riding suit. Hell, there were even patches of snow scattered around the clearing he had landed in.

Second, and most importantly, there was a shed in front of him.

It wasn't a particularly nice shed, but it wasn't a bad one either. It was medium sized, made from a dull brown wood that was strangely well preserved for something so deep in the woodlands, and for some reason, it set off all his alarm bells like he had just tumbled into the set of a horror film.

Normally, this was the scene where the common sense deficient protagonist would slowly open the door only to be greeted by a mound of corpses and/ or the serial killer/monster. If he was smart, this should be the part where Skull turned tail and ran in the opposite direction but… well, he had always been an adrenaline junky, and you didn't gain the title of 'Immortal' by running away from every scary situation you faced.

His hands certainly weren't shaking as he reached forwards and, allowing only the very tips of his fingers to curl around the wood, quickly yanked the door open only to be greeted by…

A lawn mower?

Yes, a lawn mower. And a tool table with a drill and corresponding bits scattered across the surface like in any normal household shed. In fact 'normal' seemed like a pretty good descriptor for the interior if he was being honest.

Normal potting bench covered in soil and seed packets.

Normal tool box propped half open with one or two screws on the floor around it.

Normal pile of cleaning rags breathing heavily in the corner.

Normal kid's bik- wait… what?

Head snapping back round to examine the corner once again revealed that, yes, the pile of rags was breathing, more like the person huddled under them was panting harshly and… zeu mai sus, was that a child?

Throwing caution to the wind he dashed forward, intent on grabbing the clearly sick kid, only to jerk his hands back just before they made contact. The kid was burning up, as in, really burning, to the point it had radiated through the bare inch of space between the grey toned skin and Skull's driving gloves. Even to the point he had felt. It. Through. The. Glove.

This was bad. This was really… the button, he had to press the button.

With quick and jerky movements he all but tore the small device out of his coat pocket and nearly broke it with the force he used to press it. Ignoring that for now, he allowed the button to fall to the floor as he finally moved to pull the… toddler? Jesus Christ! Into his arms, holding him close to the wind cooled leather in an attempt to alleviate at least some of the fever.

As he sat there, cradling who he could only guess was the 'sky' they had been searching for, Skull could only grit his teeth and seethe. With every second that passed, he registered more and more about the boy in his arms, and his temper grew to the point where he wanted nothing more than to rage, only barely restrained by the feeling of the slight weight in his arms.

'Accident' his ass. Everything that had been done to this kid, and he was finding more with every shift of the boy in his arms, had been done with intent. When he found who ever had done this, They. Would. Burn!

And he would enjoy every second of it.


	4. Bright Sun and Scattered Cloud

**A/N: Next chapter's here and man was this a pain to write. Still, I hope you all enjoy it and I'll see you all tomorrow!**

* * *

That was… Kawahira could feel his eye beginning to twitch as he watched what was going on with the scavenger hunt on screen.

At first, it was quite amusing to watch all of the world's strongest stumble around like newborn colts as the frantically searched through the woodland. With each step they took further into the trees, they had gone deeper and deeper into his illusions, though he had kept the flames light enough that even the information broker hadn't been able to notice. Once they had been ensnared, it had been easy to just lead them round in circles and Kawahira had got a good laugh out of watching the haughty Sun scrambling up a tree to avoid the Marsican brown bear that had been conjured up out of sheer boredom.

Sending the pack of grey wolves after the other Mist had simply been a way to test their Guardian potential when faced with poor odds. It had been a completely rational decision and nothing could ever make him admit otherwise.

So yes, the Earthling had been taking quite a bit of sadistic pleasure in tor- testing the new Arcobaleno, right up until that damn Cloud had ruined it all by acting like a complete idiot.

Unlike all the others, the Stuntman had entered the woods with no clear plan, looking to all the world as though he was simply walking in random directions without a care in the world. This completely unexpected approach had been so unpredictable that he had managed to dodge each and every construct that Kawahira had sent his way on nothing more than whimsically changing directions. The only thing he had been able to do to make the path even a little challenging was to keep using minor manipulations to make him trip and fall where ever possible. Anything big he had attempted had simply rolled off the Cloud flames that choked the air around the young man so the Earthling had been reduced to a handful of cheap tricks. Normally, that wouldn't have been a problem, it would have been amusing even, if it hadn't been for the fact that the Cloud had nearly found the baby Sky within the first fifteen minutes.

The Stuntman's luck was truly ridiculous.

As it was, Kawahira had only just managed to keep the Cloud turning in circles long enough to finish off the scene that he needed them to find the boy in. If they were ever going to understand their little baby Sky, then they would have to know some of his background or, at least, the little that the Earthling himself knew. Once finished, it had been less than a minute before the Cloud had managed to trip, by himself, and literally stumble onto the scene.

It was all he could do to get away before he became collateral damage in the course of a Cloud's rage. Huh… he didn't know that inverted Clouds even did that. Though perhaps he should have stayed… who knew what Skull would do to the incapacitated Sky in this state…

The faint beeping from one of the other monitors finally drew his attention from the image of the civilian frantically fussing over the child in his arms, Kawahira checked who was approaching and he felt himself relax. No matter how much fun he may have been having playing with the humans, he couldn't stop himself from leaving a trace of Flames with the child. A trace that was telling him that, while the careful shielding he had put in place was ensuring that the boy didn't get any worse from the Mist territory he had been left in, he wasn't getting any better either. It was beginning to make him twitchy…

Still, this new addition was either going to greatly improve the situation or make it a hundred times worse, but at least it meant that the baby Sky was that much closer to getting the treatment he so desperately needed.

* * *

Given the overall dynamic of the so called 'team' that had been collected, it had practically been a relief to enter the woods on his own. Renato was never one to believe in fairy tales, but when he looked at this dysfunctional mess that was meant to be a Harmony, he couldn't help but sink into his surging disappointment.

I Prescelti Sette. What a joke.

Admittedly, there were some in the group he wouldn't have minded being bound to. The Triad's enforcer and the miser were at least professionals, but a mad scientist Lightning who existed only on the peripherals of the Mafia? A Rain in the form of a little toy soldier who clearly disapproved of having to work with criminals? A civilian Cloud? And worst of all, an absent Sky…

The bitterness had almost choked him, making his trigger finger itch to the point he had even let loose his infamous 'chaos shot' at the one behind this farce…

Once he had left the villa, it had been all too tempting to just go to his car and leave, it wasn't as though there was anything to actually keep him here. But… he had been forced to turn down a job from Daniela de Vongola in order to attend this meeting, and that was not something that you ever did lightly. He was already committed now, and it would be nothing but an irritation if he left the job unfinished.

As it was, he had started his search with every intention of quickly finding the wayward Sky and returning them to the villa before leaving for Roma and never looking back. An intention that was easier said than done.

This trek through the woodland was enough to remind Renato of exactly why he hated taking hits outside of cities. Aside from the lack of crowds to act as cover, they were just filled with so many uncontrollable factors in the form of both flora and fauna that it just wasn't worth the effort. He had even been forced to avoid a damned bear of all things, though given the time of year, and the fact that said creature should have been hibernating by now… he was being toyed with, and the Hitman hated it.

One more hour and his resolve was wearing dangerously thin. Although a well tailored suit was one of the best defences one could wear in the Mafia, they provided very little protection from the elements themselves and, had it not been for the Sun Flames flaring up to bubble just beneath his skin, he would have been half way to frozen by now. He was so close to just backtracking and leaving with the others none the wiser when the button held loosely in his hand flashed and began to buzz faintly.

It seemed like one of the others had managed to find their target. Finally. Now all he had to do was follow the directions on the tiny screen and he would be able to leave. (If a tiny thread of jealous began to curl in his chest at not being the first one to find the Sky, it was only his pride as a professional talking. He should have been the one to find the target before any of them, it was what he did!) Thankfully, the location of the activated button was actually quite close to his current position (and didn't that sting, to be so close and yet so far) so it hadn't taken long for him to get there.

The location, when he arrived, was enough to set all of his instincts screaming in warning. The shed was completely out of place in the clearing, there was snow on the ground when there had been nothing more than rain for the past month, and the air itself was shimmering in the violet haze of Cloud Flames. Seems like the civilian was useful for something after all, though whatever was setting the brat off would have to be dealt with quickly, he had no intentions of facing the world's strongest Cloud in a rage. Civilian or not, it would be suicide.

Cautiously, he moved towards the open door, moving slowly half with the intention of not startling the raging element, and half in the hopes that the Rain would appear to help. Unfortunately, when he reached the entrance, he was still alone in the clearing. It looked like he would have to be the one to calm the Cloud, and hopefully get the Sky away before too much damage could be done to either side. With a sigh, he took the final step over the threshold, only to freeze at the sight that greeted him.

If he had been asked to describe what he had expected to find inside the shed, it would probably have been something akin to the civilian Cloud having backed the, possibly injured, definitely adult, Sky into a corner after the latter had done something to offend the former. Quite the feat given the laid back air that the Cloud had been projecting back in the meeting room.

The only flaw in this possible scenario was the fact that he had yet to feel even a lick of Sky Flames in the clearing, but surely the Civilian was not so incompetent that he couldn't remember the one instruction he had been given.

No matter what he had been expecting however, nothing had prepared him for what he had actually found. The sight of a clearly malnourished, beaten toddler being cradled against Cloud's chest was probably going to stay with him for a long time after this.

Yes, in his profession Renato had seen many children in states similar and even worse than those of the boy in the civilian's arms, but that didn't mean he had to like it. The Hitman Reborn was well known and feared across the Mafia world, but it was also a fact that he would only accept hits on those who could reasonably be classed as adults. Never anyone younger that fourteen, and definitely not under the age of ten like this one so clearly was.

Even here he could see a particularly lurid bruise from where the too large neck of the ragged t-shirt had slipped over one bony shoulder, and it was easy enough to track the cause. A heavy hand falling fast to seize and manoeuvre with precious little kindness, a small frame shaking under the impact, wanting to shift away, but too scared to move… For a moment the wooden walls blurred and Renato was seven years old again, hiding inside a cupboard as his father yelled and his Mama cried before the sound cut out and a small rivulet of blood stained a path on the kitchen tiles.

The sharp hiss of warning from the distressed Cloud brought him back to the present and Renato forced his hand to unclench, feeling the faint trickle of healing wounds across his palms. Forcing down the faint nausea of the past in favour of the more pressing threat, he made himself to refocus on the present. First things first, he needed to get the child away from the Cloud, only then could he look for any less obvious injuries. Which meant he now had to talk said Cloud down from his rage.

In hindsight, he probably shouldn't have shot the Cloud before. It would make it so much easier to do this now if he hadn't already established himself as a threat.

"Look kid, I can help them, but you need to let me come closer."

Behind him, he could feel the shift in the air that signified someone else approaching, but given the current situation he could be forgiven for keeping his gaze firmly set ahead. From the restrained turbulence it was Fon. He would understand.

Attempting to take another step into the shed was a mistake, though he refused to back down, no matter how suffocating the agitated Flames were becoming in such an enclosed space. An enraged Cloud was like a wild hunter, show them any sign of weakness and they would pounce. Given the eerie glow that had completely taken over the boy's irises, it wouldn't even take that much to set him off.

Flashing the civilian a grin that showed far too many teeth to be anything other than a threat, Renato took another deliberate step forwards, flaring his own Flames in an attempt to clear the air. With such strong Cloud Flames saturating the air, they were beginning to feed off of each other, resonating in a feedback loop that would keep making their wielder angrier and angrier unless the cycle was broken. It was a risky move, one that could just as easily be taken as a challenge as a soothing action it was intended to be. Hopefully, if the civilian was the Inverted Flame that the Hitman suspected him to be, it would bring him back to some form of lucidity.

Off to his left he could feel the contained Storm beginning to seep into the mix as well, slowly disintegrating the excess Flames, but he once more ignored them. It was a small comfort that he would have the Martial Artist's support if things went south, but nothing else.

Thankfully, once the air was clearer, the harsh violet light began to fade from the boy's eyes, leaving him blinking at them in confusion, though curiously, he made no move to loosen his hold of the toddler.

"What…? When did you guys get here?"

"Just a moment ago, my friend. Now please, give the child to Reborn, he can help."

"Who?"

"He means me kid. Either give him here, or let me get closer to you, I need to check him over and I can't do that from this far away."

Despite his best attempts to keep his voice low an comforting, soothing was not a setting that came easily to the Sun, and he could already see the Cloud's lips wanting to curl into another snarl even as those purple eyes crinkled in confusion. At least that answered the question of whether the toddler was a Sky or not, little else would elicit that reaction than a newly formed Guardian bond to a distressed Sky. Inwardly, Renato's Flames perked up at that realisation, he had felt just how strong the Cloud was back at the meeting. If the baby Sky had managed to pull him in… then surely there was hope… The Hitman ruthlessly forced the idea back down and made himself refocus, there were still far too many unanswered questions to allow himself to get distracted by fantasies.

The far left corner of the shed twisted for a split second and Renato caught a glimpse of the hem of a cloak before it settled back into the dull brown of the wall. It looked like Viper was here as well. Useful information, but unimportant right now.

"Are you a doctor?"

Jerking a little at the unexpected question, Renato refocused on the sceptical face of the Cloud and had to stop himself from snorting. Why would he possibly ask that when Renato had been bleeding Sun Flames since he had hit the clearing?

Right, civilian. He probably had no clue what was going on right now and was purely running on instincts that he didn't even understand.

What a pain.

"Amongst other things. Now come here, he's been out in the cold too long as it is and he's most definitely not dressed for the weather."

With clear reluctance the Cloud finally shifted out of his defensive crouch and began to shuffle closer. About a foot from the Hitman he stopped, biting his lip before quickly blurting out:

"He has a fever. I've been trying to cool him down, but I don't think it's helping."

As it was, Renato barely heard him, far too distracted by the startlingly pure Sky Flames that had begun curling around him as soon as the boy was within arm's reach. Sweet and playful, the child's Flames practically danced across his own, all but snuggling up to him in their attempts to draw out his own. The sheer welcoming warmth that those Flames possessed was a sirens call and something in him ached as he forced himself not to react. Now was most definitely not the time fore this.

The gasps he heard now that the Sky Flames were freely moving throughout the room let him know that he was not the only one to have felt the frankly overwhelming Sky Attraction from the toddler, as well as the fact that the Soldier had finally managed to catch up to them. It was no wonder that the Cloud had bonded so quickly. As a civilian he probably had nothing more than his natural defences against the pull of Harmony, and they would have been near useless in the face of this particular Sky.

Once again having to pull himself out of his thoughts, something he had not had to do on a job since he had been a novice on his first hit, Renato reached out and finally, finally, pulled the boy into his arms.

He was light. Far too light. And he was burning.

It only took him loosening his control the smallest amount for his Flames to surge out, desperate as they were to reach for the Sky before them, it was only through his iron will that he was able to direct them into an assessing scan instead of the bond they were longing for.

The flood of information resulting from the scan was overwhelming, and he could clearly understand the Cloud's rage now as the memory of a hundred slaps and kicks, broken bones and concussions danced behind his eyes. That wasn't even taking into account what was currently wrong with the five year old he was cradling.

Flame Exhaustion.

Severe malnutrition.

A serious case of pneumonia which had him flaring his Flames even higher in an attempt to warm the air around them (counter intuitively, the boy's fever was cause by his Flames working overtime in an attempt to mitigate the effects of surrounding chill on the infection. They would need to get him into a warmer environment soon or the boy's Flame would give out and they would really be in trouble, something that would have happened a long time ago if the child had not had access to the deep sea of reserves Renato could only begin to feel out right now.)

And, most worryingly, intense, late stage organ failure.

"We need to get him back to the villa now. Fon, go ahead and find Verde, tell him he needs to get a full life support set up running in the infirmary… Now."

Renato had intended to find the Sky and then leave. That was not an option now. He didn't think it would be one ever again.


	5. Sleeping Beauty

**A/N: Not too sure I like the ending of this one, but I thought it was about time that I gave you guys what you were waiting for. I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

The steady, consistent beeping was beginning to wear on Lal's nerves, but she couldn't bring herself to leave the room. The smell of burning linen was still present from the last time she had attempted to even go make a cup of coffee reminding her of exactly why that would be a bad idea.

After finding the kid in the displaced shed and the frantic race back to the villa that had followed, tensions had been running high, even to the point she had been forced to douse the room in her own Flames every half hour or so just to keep tempers from igniting. Not that she could blame them for the reaction, but Lal had really hoped to have left all the testosterone filled posturing behind when she had left the army.

Her presence in the meeting had been mainly down to boredom and more than a little listlessness that stemmed from her newfound unemployment, not to mention the absolutely ludicrous reward. With the activation of their Flames on a mission that had been FUBAR from the start, the Vindici themselves had shown up to pull her and her second from COMSUBIN personally. They had then briefly explained the bare basics of Flames, the true face of the Mafia and most importantly, in their eyes, the existence of the omerta, before just leaving them to their own devices. Since then, she and Colonnello had been working as freelance mercenaries and occasional assassins, just trying to get by before Checkerface had approached them with his offer.

In exchange for one of them completing a series of missions with the team of the supposed 'strongest' Flame users on the planet, he would give them enough money that they would be able to turn their backs on the Mafia for good. The fact that she would have to complete said missions with a group of criminals was an unpleasant one, but if it meant that they would have a way out…

Colonnello had been less accepting, he refused to let her put herself in such danger, but there was no way that she was going to let her old subordinate take on the risk instead. It had lead to one of the worst arguments the two of them had ever had, and her sneaking away in the morning long before he should have woken up. By the time she had reached the villa it would be too late for him to interfere without potentially causing the situation to blow up in their faces, and he would never take that chance. Instead, she could almost feel her idiot student pacing in the woodland, sniper rifle in hand, though thankfully he had had the sense not to let himself be seen so far.

Then there was the mess that was the meeting itself, having to interfere so that the homicidal Sun didn't murder the clearly civilian Cloud, needing to bite her lip to stop herself from throttling the obstinate Lightning who seemed to delight in pissing them off and, finally, the desperate search through the woods for the pampered moron who'd managed to get lost on the only clearly marked road in the surrounding area.

She hadn't been holding out hope for actually liking the Sky. From her experience, the near religious veneration the Mafia seemed to hold for the Harmony bond had lead to Sky's being catered to and spoiled to the point that they just expected all lone Elements to just fall into line whenever they snapped their fingers. The last time one of the entitled bastards had flared his Flames at her, disregarding all notions of subtlety in their attempts to bind the 'weak willed woman' with the 'Flmes far too powerful for such a pretty little thing' to him through force, it had taken Colonnello all but tranquillizing her and a forceful reminder that this example of human slime was their meal ticket for the next month, to stop her from bludgeoning him to death with his own decorative cane.

She was not looking for a repeat with the world's strongest Sky. With a title like that, it had surely gone straight to his head.

Throughout the search she had taken the time to shore up her defences in preparation for an unpleasant few months of forced interaction only… it wasn't needed.

Finding the violent Sun attempting to play peace maker with the boy he had literally shot at only a few hours ago had been amusing. Seeing the cause of all the dramatics had not.

Child abuse, while something she had not personally experienced, was a problem she was intimately familiar with all the same. It was frankly astonishing just how many abused kids went into the military, and given the way Colonnello still flinched whenever someone approached him from his left side… needless to say she had plenty of experience dealing with survivors.

The door opened behind her and with the effect it had on the men around her, it was like someone had fired off a gun instead. In the back of her mind, something primal and vicious snarled at the intrusion, but she ignored it with the ease of long practice. Verde had left to run blood tests in the lab he had found inside a hidden basement (it seemed the Lightning had been searching the house while the rest of them had been searching the woods) about an hour ago. As no one but the nine of them even knew the location of the meeting of whom five were currently in the room, one had more sense than to reveal himself, one had disappeared to God only knows where and the other seemed to hold an aversion to using doors, logic dictated that it had to be the scientist returning with the results.

Sighing in irritation at the sudden flaring of possessive Cloud/Sun/Storm Flames and equally strong, if apathetic Lightning ones, she loosened her hold on her Rain and let them dampen the atmosphere of the room enough so that she could breathe. Once that was achieved, she slowly worked to detangle them from the grasp of those around her and return the Flame back to her core, though the smug warmth that coiled within them made her shudder slightly.

And then there was this new complication.

Despite her efforts in defending herself, it had taken mere seconds for the child's playful Sky to draw out Lal's Rain and even though she had held no intention of bonding, it had just happened…

In a manner similar to how her Flames had blended seamlessly with Colonnello's at the moment of their awakening, twisting together in a way that would have been tedious to detangle if they had ever wanted to, the orange had curled around her own navy, not forceful, but insistent to the point that, when she finally wrestled her Flames back into her body, some of that warmth had come too. Now it just rested, happy and content as it curled up in her chest, a third strand that felt completely natural in the bond that had already existed.

Lal could tell from the reaction of the others that she had not been the only one to experience this. With the way the civilian was hovering, you would think that the boy curled up on the bed was his own child, and the Sun wasn't much better, though at least he had an excuse for the constant contact, as he was keeping the boy in the bed alive.

She had a strong suspicion that the Storm had also bonded instantly, but with the way he was refusing to be within a good foot of the boy, it was harder to tell. He was certainly protective enough to have forged a Guardian bond, but it could have just been his natural reaction to Skies in general shining through. She didn't know him well enough to tell.

The Lightning was even more of an enigma. While being oddly helpful given his previous reluctance, it could quite easily just be his self preservation instincts at play. Denying two new Guardians who were almost feral with worry was a stupid decision. It didn't take any self proclaimed 'genius' to see that.

With the Mist… she had no idea. The cloaked figure hadn't been seen since they had all split up to search in the first place. For all they knew, they had split and run at the first opportunity. Lord knows she should have if given half the chance.

Still, it looked like there would be no leaving now, not for a long time at least. It had only taken one second of shocked inattention for her to finally be snared by a Sky in this God forsaken Mafia but, as the little hand resting beneath her own twitched in sleep… she couldn't really bring herself to care.

* * *

It was warm.

Freak couldn't remember the last time he had felt like this. Yes, the pain was still there, throbbing in the back of his mind like it always did, and his head was feeling all hot and stuffy, but he could ignore that. He had learned to ignore a lot of things over the years. Still, the soft, warm feeling that seemed to wrap around him was nice. He really didn't mind staying here, even if he was alone again.

Freaks like him were meant to be alone after all.

Still, he was warm, and after the sheer, biting cold he remembered being in last, he was going to enjoy it.

At some point, as he drifted, Freak felt himself being moved. Fearing that Uncle Vernon had come to take the warmth away, he had forced himself awake, though it was harder than he remembered it being. When he finally managed to pull his eyes open, even just a slit, he took in the room around him in confusion.

What registered first was the smell, the scent of dust and old books a direct contrast to the harsh lemon smell that Aunt 'Tunia had in all her cleaning liquids. Then there was the strands of white hair that were floating in front of his face. He had heard Aunt 'Tunia tell Dudley that people's hair only went white when they were r_eally _old, but Freak was pretty sure he had never met anyone older than Mrs Figg across the street and her hair was still a dark grey.

Then he finally realized, someone was holding him. Not in the harsh way that Uncle used to move him to where ever needed cleaning, or the tight grip that 'Tunia had on his shoulder whenever they had to go somewhere outside. No, these arms were wrapped around him, strong and unmoving, but also gentle. It felt like what he imagined a hung would feel like. But who would be hugging him?

All at once, his memories from the shed came back and he grinned. It looked like he was going to get his Christmas wish after all.

"Santa!"

A wave of sleepiness washed over him before he could do anything else, but Freak didn't mind. Santa would keep him safe. Maybe, when he woke up, it would finally be time for his present. He couldn't wait to open it.

For a long time after that, Freak just drifted, perfectly content to go with the flow. If he was finally going to get a family, then he was going to lay here and wait for however long it took. For this, he would happily wait forever, especially in such a nice place. The only time his happy bubble was even remotely disrupted was when the soft, dark blue ball of light had started to move away. He hadn't even noticed it was there until the moment, but when he felt it start to pull away, something in his chest had cried out in protest.

Acting on instinct he had quickly reach out and wrapped his arms around this light. He didn't know what it was, but something told him that he should keep the strange fire close, so that was what he was going to do. At first, the flames had flared a few times, almost squirming in an attempt to get away, but Freak had refused to let go, clinging as tight as he could until they finally relaxed, cuddling closer and flooding him with warmth. Freak's orange flames seemed to flicker happily at that, and when the indigo flames went to swat his nose, he laughed. He couldn't help it, nothing had ever felt like this before.

More time passed and Freak felt himself start to frown. The flames were starting to get more and more agitated as time passed and, while he could sooth them with his own, gently petting them like an angry cat, it was becoming harder to do so, right up until the point that they slipped through his grasp like smoke.

In the absence of the light, the cold began to come back and Freak began to panic. He hated the fact that the light had to leave, and he hated the icy chill that was grabbing hold of his arms and legs already. He wanted to lash out with his own flames, to warm himself up if nothing else, but they didn't respond. When he poked the place in the back of his head where they had always sat, all he got back was the faint feeling of pouting and depression.

All alone and in a space that was quickly becoming both darker and colder, Freak curled himself up into a tight ball and tried not to cry. He didn't like being alone and the dark terrified him, but he couldn't make a sound. Several nights alone in the cupboard had taught him that it was better to just sit there in silence than to call attention to himself. Still, he didn't want to be alone… and then he wasn't.

The change from dark to a blinding purple light was immediate, and Freak felt some of the tears leak out in shock, but that was soon overwhelmed by the new, hyper flames that bounced all over him, snuggling up and nudging every part of skin they could find before jumping on top of him and just _melting._ All at once, the orange fire flared up and clung to the purple fire harder than it had ever clung to anything before, and this new fire just _let _him.

It was almost enough to send him back to sleep, content to know that he was safe with these flames, but then there were _others _and it was just so _pretty!_

First were the yellow ones that shone bright like the sun. Whereas the purple fire had acted like a friendly puppy, these new ones were more like one of Mrs Figgs cats with a visitor. They sniffed and hissed at him from a distance, all the while making their way steadily closer. When they finally connected, Freak giggled. He could feel the pride bleeding from these new flames even as they draped themselves over his shoulders like a warm blanket.

Then there were the red ones that were about halfway between the two, coming over to prod at him curiously in a way that made him squirm at the ticklish sensation. Seemingly happy with that reaction, they moved back to where they could swirl and make pretty shapes against the backdrop of gold and purple.

Next was a dark, dark blue. It looked almost like the first flames that had left, but different somehow. These flames seemed to give off a feeling of loneliness that made his chest hurt, but when he reached out in an attempt they started acting strange. At first they slipped along his orange fire, picking and surrounding at random parts as though tasting them, but then they just froze. Before he could do anything else, they had run off to somewhere he couldn't see. The sudden disappearance left him breathless, and Freak felt like he might have started crying again if it weren't for the _other, _other blue that appeared.

This one was different. With the others, they had all be one colour and one shade, flaring and flickering all they wanted, but never changing. These new ones had a strange dual tone and even as some part of Freak pulled back at the weirdness of it, the rest of him was intrigued. Having learned his lesson from last time, he wasn't going to react, not wanting to scare this blue off like the others, but the longer he sat there staring at it, the stronger the _need _to touch them became. It didn't matter that he already had the three others curling around him in a way that made him just want to melt into a pile of happy goo, he wanted these ones too.

Freak had never been selfish before, but maybe this time he could…

Touching the blue flames was like dipping his hand in a puddle of cool water on a really hot day, calming the heat from the other fire to the point that the sleepy feeling returned. Pulling his little collection of lights closer in his arms, Freak allowed his eyes to fall close with a smile.

There was a loud beeping next to his ear. It wasn't quite as loud as Aunt 'Tunia's voice, but it was enough to drive the sleepy feeling away. For a moment he felt like keeping his eyes closed and just hoping that he could go back to that warm place with all the pretty lights, but he knew that he would only be shouted at if he took too long to get up and start his chores. Maybe he would be able to have that dream again tomorrow? He sure hoped so.

A quiet whine caught in the back of Freaks throat as he slowly pulled his eyes open, only to find himself in a room that he had never seen before. Or, at least, he didn't think he had ever seen a room with wooden carvings in the roof before. Did that mean that the dream hadn't been a dream at all? If Santa had really come to take him away from the house then that meant…

Completely forgetting his old tiredness, Freak shot up in the bed he had been laid in. A bad move as it made the room spin in front of his eyes, and caused the pain to hit him all at once until he fell back onto the overly fluffy pillows with a soft cry. Almost immediately the red flames shot out from where they had been resting without him knowing at the back of his mind and, with them, came a thankfully cool hand on his forehead.

"Hey now little bird. Just lay still for a bit."

The voice was really soft against his pounding head and Freak couldn't stop himself from turning to press even more of his face into that hand, making the red fire flicker happily as he did so. Above his head, the stranger laughed.

"Are you even awake little one? Will you remember this in the morning?"

Freak thought about answering, but the burning in his throat just meant he let out a quiet hum of content instead, making the man laugh harder in that hushed way of his.

"Go back to sleep then. There will be time for introductions later."

Now that he mentioned it, the sleepy feeling came back at full force and Freak's mouth fell open in a yawn. The hand moved down to pull at his blankets before starting to move away, but he grabbed one of them instead. This man might be a stranger, but he didn't want him to _leave. _Freak felt the other man sigh, but the hand flipped over to hold his own properly, so he was going to count that as a win.

"Alright little bird, go back to sleep. I'll watch over you."

The voice then began to sing softly in a language that Freak couldn't understand, but it was really pretty either way. Suddenly desperate to put a face to the voice, he struggled to force his eyes open again, but he only managed to catch a glimpse of a long black braid before they fell shut once again, sending him back into the reaching embrace of the pretty lights that flared up just to catch him.

As he fell back into the warm place where all the lights live, Freak couldn't help but wonder… was this warmth what family felt like? If it was, then he really couldn't wait for the morning, and wasn't that a new idea for him?


	6. Ultimatum

**A/N: Hi guys, sorry I missed yesterday's update, but I was feeling pretty ill so I wouldn't have been able to give you anything worth while. I'm still not great, and I'm not all that happy with this chapter, but I figured I owed you something. I hope you enjoy... and that you won't want to kill me by the end of it.**

***goes to hide under the table***

**btw- Happy Halloween!**

* * *

The searing heat of the cup in his hands was exactly the sort of grounding presence Fon needed right then, helping him to keep his mind in the present and off of the small figure laying comatose in a bed too rooms to the left and one floor up from the kitchen he had cloistered himself in. An unconscious twitch of his fingers had some of the scolding liquid slipping over the rim and he was forced to place the mug on the counter to avoid breaking it. Finding the 'eye' of his Storm had been growing increasingly difficult the longer the child remained unconscious.

This baby Sky they had found, abandoned in the woods, was almost the exact opposite of what he had been expecting from this meeting, but he wasn't about to complain. No, actually, he was. Seeing the small child curled up in the arms of the Cloud, shivering and sweating in the winter air… he had just seemed so fragile. An abused china doll that had been tossed aside and left for them to find. And when those pure, _pure _Flames had reached for him with their promise of _peacesafteyHOME… _he had pulled back. It wasn't as though he didn't _want _to reach back but…

_A high pitched scream tore through him and he forced the reaching tendril back into his body. The rush of concern, fear and panic causing his hands to shake as he reached towards the curled form of the girl on the floor. In the back of his mind, his Flames continued to flare in a constant litany of confusionhorrorwhywhyWHY? _

_The second his hands made contact with her shoulder, Ty Lee shrieked again and his heart broke. On the top of her shoulder, the exact place he would always touch to console her when she panicked, there now stood a livid burn, evidence of the corrosive nature of his Flames. _

If he had managed to cause so much damage to Ty Lee, a Sky several years older and in perfect health… surely they would _ruin_ the boy in the bed upstairs.

So now, while the Sun and Cloud hovered, while the Lightning ran tests and the Rain tried so desperately to keep the peace, he was here. Hiding. Oh how he hated the word, but there was truly no other name for it.

He was scared.

Just being in the room under the suffocating Flames of the others, having to keep a distance even though those orange Flames with their insistent call of _home _were doing their utmost to tease his own from his core. It _burned _to ignore the constant attempts, but he did so all the same. After several hours of this torment however, he had felt his resolve waver and he had been forced to leave the room lest he do something he would later regret.

The lack of bond didn't stop his instincts from flaring however, and when he felt the new presence materialise behind him, far too close to the child, he hadn't had time to think before his fist was flying at the intruder's head. A split second later and he recognized the hooded form of Viper and had pulled the punch, managing to stop it a hair away from the other's face. Not that Viper seemed to notice.

Without saying a word, the information broker had headed straight to the liquor cabinet next to the window and poured a finger of whiskey before promptly downing it. Fon could only watch as they repeated the process before they stopped, a hand moving up to grip their hair under the hood. This behaviour was completely out of character, and more than a little worrying.

"Is something wrong?"

The only response he gets is a hoarse laugh and the miser reaching for the bottle once again. Thoroughly concerned now, he reaches out and gently removes the bottle from Viper's grip, fully intending to hold it hostage until he got the answers he wanted.

"Viper, what's bothering you?"

"What's bothering me? What's _bothering _me is the fact that the supposed 'world's strongest Sky', arguably the only one capable of holding us all, is something that isn't ever supposed to exist! By all rights, that boy should be dead!"

The words fell like blows and, for a second, Fon found it hard to breathe. Without his consent, a small tongue of Storm Flames darted up through the roof to check on the boy. It was only when he felt those playful Flames begin to reach back that his chest finally relaxed and he was able to focus back on the Mist before him.

"Care to elaborate?"

Despite the light tone, Fon was not asking.

"Put it this way: There are two possible energies that can exist inside the human soul. One, as you know, consists of Dying Will Flames, the other is something equally as powerful, but even better hidden."

"A second energy type? And the boy has it?"

"Yes the boy has it, but that isn't possible. _He _isn't possible. To manifest either energy, the soul has to be pulled into a set frequency, a Resonance if you would, but the two energies work on opposing wave lengths. It's _not_ possible for them to exist in the same place!"

As the Mist spoke, their words kept getting faster and faster, the frustration practically bleeding from every sentence. Fon was sorely tempted to take a shot of the whiskey himself, maybe then the spiel would make some form of sense. As it was, he had the feeling that he would be leaving this conversation with the mother of all migraines, and that was before he realised that someone would have to explain this to _Reborn. _

"So you're saying that the two energies will act like matter and anti-matter. Any contact between the two would cause a deterioration effect and cancel each other out. Essentially, the two parts of the boys soul would clash before resolving, erasing his life force in the process."

Fon twitched at the sudden arrival of the scientist, but he couldn't bring himself to do any more. He couldn't bring himself to do much of anything really, he was still stuck on trying to process this information.

The boy upstairs most definitely had Flames, even now he could feel the warmth twisting around his own like a kitten that was basking in the attention. If Viper was to be believed, that would prevent him from having this secondary energy, but then why would the information broker be bringing up such well hidden information if it wasn't relevant, and for free no less…

"How sure are you that he has this other energy?"

"About as sure as I can be without performing a more in depth assessment, something that the boy is in no state to undergo right now. Haven't you noticed something strange about the child's Flames? The both of you are strong enough that you should be able to feel it."

At this, he had to fight down a grimace. No he hadn't noticed anything different about the Sky upstairs, nothing more than his blinding purity and understated strength anyway. But had he really tried? Ever since finding him in the forest, Fon had been keeping as much of a barrier between them as he could to protect the boy… but maybe…

Three deep breaths and Fon was able to slip into a form of partial meditation where he fell into the crimson tempest of his Flames. Once there, he managed to separate the smallest strand of the calmer Flames and slowly, oh so slowly, he reached forward before _finally _allow them to touch the gentle peach aura that was all but dancing around the boy. No barriers, no reluctance, he just allowed himself to _feel._

At the second of contact, the baby Flames froze and Fon held his breath, ready to withdraw at even the slightest hint of discomfort but his caution wasn't needed. As soon as the Sky Flames realised what had happened, they _surged _forward cuddling close and clinging so tightly that he felt like he would never be able to remove them. For a moment he was lost, drowning in the peace that they were all too share with him, but then he remembered what he was meant to be doing and refocused.

He went to pull his Flames back, wanting to take a more complete look at the boy's Flames, but his every attempt was met by the Sky twist closer, almost panicking at the idea of him leaving. Having to fight off a smile, Fon changed his approach, twisting instead to do the equivalent of pulling the younger Flames onto his lap. The change was immediate as the Sky all but sprawled all over him, completely relaxed in a way he had never felt a Sky manage in his presence before.

That was when he felt it.

If he hadn't been searching for an abnormality, _any _abnormality, he would have missed the faint zing of power that seemed to jump from one part of the boy's Flames to another at a speed that made it almost impossible to see. It slowed a little as he soothed them, lulling the boy into an almost sleeping state, and Fon was able to catch a sight of a bright golden spark that brushed against him before running off again when he attempted to touch it.

Continuing the soothing actions, Fon opened his eyes, turning his attention back to the others in the kitchen.

"It feels like Lightning Flames, but lighter… it's hard to describe."

Over in the doorway, Verde's expression turned thoughtful.

"That might be why I didn't notice it. It's nature and that of my Flame's are so similar that it could hide from my search _inside_ of the probe. What exactly is it Viper and how do you know?"

The Mist just groaned, taking another drink from the bottle they must have reclaimed why Fon had been distracted. When they finally deigned to reply, their voice was muffled by the arm they were resting on.

"I don't know _what _they are."

Well, that must have been painful for them to admit, and it made Fon think that Viper may have started drinking long before they arrived back at the villa. For a person whose standing and protection relied on being the one with all the answers, not knowing something, a_dmitting _to not knowing something, was serious indeed. It was also worrying. If Viper, the best information broker in the _world _had managed to spend the past week since the meeting, if not longer, looking for an answer and still not found anything… that was terrifying.

"All I know is that I saw them once. I was younger and there was a job, one that had me working with a small team of assassins in England. What we were doing wasn't important, but when we finally closed in on our target, the rest went after him while I stayed hidden in my Mist. He did something to them, and when we left, two members were dead without cause and the others had no memory of anything to do with the job."

"A form of energy transfer then?"

"It's possible, from my research, it seems more along the lines of probability manipulation, though that isn't right either. As I said, I have no idea what it is."

Fon was not an idiot, but this was not the sort of debate he wanted to be involved in, especially as there was a more pressing part of this news that finding something as asinine as a classification.

"So what does that mean for the boy?"

"You saw the tests as well as I did, his white blood cells are attacking his own body and his organs are failing due to the damage. If it wasn't for the Hitman, he would be dead already."

That… was not what he wanted to hear. Keeping his eyes fixed on Verde, he tightened his grip on the orange Flames still curling around his own. As though sensing his agitation, they twisted even closer, flooding with a sense of home that he had been longing for, for many years. Now that he had found it, even as superficial as this was, Fon had no intention of letting it go again.

"Verde, can you do anything?"

The Lightning better be able to do something. If the man attempted his 'too aloof to care' act again, Fon was going to show him exactly _why _he was the world's strongest Storm. Thankfully, the scientist seemed intrigued enough at this new phenomenon that he was more than willing to investigate.

"There is one solution I can think of… but none of you will like it. Go gather the others, the Sky will survive an hour or two on his own and this is something that will need to be discussed by all involved parties."

Finally alone, Fon couldn't help but stare at the toddler in the bed, eyes tracing over the grey tinged face in an attempt to commit it to memory. Down in the kitchen he could feel the others raging, but he couldn't bring himself to join them.

Fate was not kind to people like them, kind things just didn't happen in their lives. They couldn't expect to be _given _a Harmony bond just by virtue of being the 'world's strongest' Flames. The world simply didn't work like that.

He couldn't help but feel a twinge of sympathy for the Cloud however. The boy, Skull apparently, had fallen hard and fast into the warmth of a bond and now that was going to shatter him. Fon couldn't imagine what the stuntman had ever done in his life to deserve it, he doubted it was anything half as bad as the sea of blood that the rest of them were drowning in.

Two conflicting energy types that couldn't exist in the same place. Two different energies that were combining in a way that was killing the baby Sky on the bed… and one solution:

One of the energies had to be removed. Since they had only the vaguest idea of what this second energy even _was_ that left them with one option. Flame seals were dangerous, but given the situation…

Verde had been right; none of them had liked it. In fact, it was probably safe to say that they had _hated _the idea.

Lal Mirch had been quiet, but the fact that her Flames had made no attempt to sooth those of the others spoke volumes of how she was taking the news. That, and her disappearing act not long after the meeting fell apart. Fon had heard the gunfire blazing long past dark that night.

Reborn, though he, in his pride, had attempted to hide it, was seething. Being in the same room as the Hitman had become a test of endurance after that, and Fon was still supporting a third degree burn on his left hand from where he had attempted to lay a hand on the Sun's shoulder in comfort.

Viper was slowly working their way through the bottles in the wine cellar and he wasn't even going to try and stop them. He had seen what had happened to one of the Mist's victims in the past, and he had no intention of joining them in the psych ward.

In contrast, the civilian hadn't seemed too bothered by it all. In fact, he had been all for the idea of placing the seal at the earliest opportunity in order to help the boy recover. He was eager enough that Fon had actively had to stop the Sun from shooting him once again. As the Sky's most enthusiastic protector, it had been baffling that he had been so accepting of losing his newly formed bond, until Fon realise… he didn't _know!_

Skull was a _civilian _he had no idea about Flames, or bonds or Harmony.

It had taken quite a bit of explaining, but eventually the stuntman had understood, and then he had _raged._ Fon was pretty sure that the surrounding forest would never fully recover from all the damage that caused.

Verde had retreated, quite sensibly in Fon's opinion, to the labs in the basement where he proceeded to do who knows what. The lights had started cutting out every half hour or so, but he had decided to ignore it for now.

As for Fon himself, he had needed to think, which was why he had moved to the room where the boy, the one Sky he had found who could even hope to hold him, was resting fitfully. Very fitfully actually. Almost as though he was waking…

The short sound that came from the bed was almost lost in the beeping of the heart monitor, but his many years as an active assassin had honed his senses to the point that he could have heard the whine even in the room downstairs where he could already feel Reborn attempting to, and succeeding in picking a fight with Skull.

He was over by the bed in a heartbeat, just in time for the boy to jolt upright as though electrocuted. There was just enough time for Fon to be caught, mesmerised in the hazy green eyes of the child, before the boy was falling back, a cry of pain torn from his throat. Gently, Fon had reached over, hoping to calm the boy enough to avoid a repeat of such reckless actions.

"Hey now little bird. Just lay still for a bit."

He didn't know what he had expected for a reaction but he thought that there should probably have been caution, maybe even fear. Fon was a stranger after all, it would make sense to be wary. Instead, the boy had turned to nuzzle into his hand, looking so much like an affectionate kitten that he had laughed. This boy truly was ridiculous.

"Are you even awake little one? Will you remember this in the morning?"

He didn't think so. The boy's eyes had been hazy, and he was acting in a manner that Fon wouldn't hesitate to call Flame drunk. The quiet hum that the boy released did nothing to challenge that assessment.

"Go back to sleep then. There will be time for introductions later."

And there would. If they were going to ruin the boy's life by cutting off a vital part of his soul, they would at least give him the courtesy of letting him know _who _was doing it. Hoping to distract himself, he started fussing with the blanket that had fallen down when the boy had moved. He had meant to tuck the boy back in, Reborn had been insistent on keeping their Sky warm after all, before searching out an empty room where he would be able to think about things logically, without the face of the baby Sky acting like a knife twisting in his gut.

Those intentions died a death however, when the boy had moved to grip his hand tight, a pale imitation to the grip the orange Flames had suddenly taken on his own.

The knife twisted again at the show of innocent trust. A show that would probably not be repeated in the near future. If they went ahead with the plan to seal his Flames, then there was little doubt that the boy would want nothing to do with them. If they didn't, he would be dead.

Taking a deep breath, Fon moved to properly hold the hand and attempted to smile down at the child who was curling around their connection.

"Alright little bird, go back to sleep. I'll watch over you."

Unbidden, the words of a lullaby that he had once sung to his sister came to mind, and he slowly began to sing. Even as the boy went lax, falling into a deeper sleep, Fon didn't falter, only allowing his own eyes to close as he held the small hand tight.

He had made his decision, cast his vote in the mess that was their team dynamic. Now he would have to live with the consequence. They all would.


	7. Unpleasant Truths

**A/N: Hi guys. I know some of you don't like what I'm doing with the seal thing, but I promise you, it's all for a good cause! Anyway, I'm not going to keep you hanging for too much longer and I hope you enjoy the fluff packed chapter.**

**I hope you like parental Reborn ;)**

**Btw, if anyone is worried about the brevity of the reveal at the end... don't be. They will still rage later, they're just a little preoccupied right now.**

* * *

Screw the pacifiers and the chance of reality itself imploding; these morons were never going to be the Arcobaleno. No, Kawahira was going to murder them long before that point, it was the only solution he could really think of for the sheer _stupidity _they were all displaying. He had _given _them all a chance for Harmony that many Elements would _kill _for. He had literally _dropped_ an insanely powerful Sky right into their laps and what was their response? The intended to _seal _the boy's Flames…

Why was he putting so much energy into keeping humanity alive when they were so determined to kill themselves?

After ensuring that the baby Sky had been found by his Elements, the Earthling had forced himself to take a step back. Purposefully taking a trip to the furthest place from Italy he could find in order to give his Flames time to cool down and s_top _trying to grab a hold of the boy.

After a week, he had been forced to admit that it wasn't helping and had returned to check on the new Arcobaleno, so he had already been in a foul mood before he had heard their discussion. Not that he would have reacted any differently even if he had been in a better mood. Honestly, why would they even think of using a seal? Ungrateful brats.

The fact that the information broker had already encountered the magical society in their life was not a surprising one. That the boy was a witch-childe was slightly more so, though now that it was brought to his attention, Kawahira could clearly feel the spark of Hecate that lived within the boy. It was frankly more surprising that he hadn't noticed it at some point in the month he had spent at the child's bedside. Actually, thinking about what his last interaction with the magicals had entailed… maybe not, he had become more than proficient at suppressing unwanted memories over the years.

Still, he hadn't known that the two energies would actively seek to kill each other. It wasn't as though there had ever been a case of them mixing in one host before, but yes, that would be a problem. It still didn't mean he was going to let them break the Sky he had already invested so much time in. He would just have to do a little more research in order to find a second solution, that was all...

Returning to his office, he was once more greeted by the sight of the pacifiers glowing brightly on their pedestals, in the centre of the ring, he could have sworn that the Sky vessel winked at him.

He knew he should have dumped that thing in the river when he'd had the chance.

* * *

Once the Sky had finally awoken (only for a few seconds by Fon's admission but still, consciousness) it was almost as though a dam had broken. Despite the jealousy that had initially flared through the room at not being the one to catch the child awake, it had not taken long for the rest of their group to have gained their own stories of interactions. For Renato's part, it had happened in the very dead of night.

Having finally worn his muscles out to the point that they no longer felt like they were going to vibrate out of his skin, Renato had been fully intending to head to the room he had claimed as his to crash for an hour or two. Although he would have loved for it to be longer (he was not above admitting when he so desperately needed a break like he did now) that simply wasn't possible. (At least he was pretty certain that he would be able to fall asleep quickly tonight, his Flames were too exhausted to keep him awake as they had every other night since he had activated them.)

It had taken far more effort than it should for him to keep his steps light as he re-entered the villa, dust covered and a little ruffled, but still far more put together than anyone else would have been in his situation, but he had managed it. Normally he wouldn't have bothered, but even _he_ had grown tired of the constant stress fuelled arguments of the past few days. If he wanted to avoid having to shoot one of his fellow Elements (and that phrase still managed to send a shiver down his spine despite the complete lunatics he was beginning to be tied to) it was best to just get upstairs without drawing any attention to himself. He'd managed it, and had been half way down the corridor, eyes fixed on his door, when he had felt it, the faintest flicker of panic in those Flames he had become all too familiar with in the few days.

The Hitman had been moving before he had even processed the act, guttering Flames flaring back to life as they prepared to confront whatever was threatening _his_ Sky. In three flying steps he was bursting through the door only to freeze at the sight of tear stained emeralds staring back at him.

The room was empty. His Sky was awake and the room was empty. His Sky was a_wake. _

And crying. That just wouldn't do.

"What's wrong Tesoro? Why are you afraid?"

He refused to admit that his voice shook through the words, but the sudden spike of adrenaline was already dying in his system and he was just so _tired_. If he thought his legs would answer him, he would have moved to collapse into one of the chairs by the bed, as it was, he could only stand there, swaying slightly as the boy examined him. Despite the hazy sheen to that gaze but damn if it didn't pierce straight down to his soul.

Had the boy even understood him? Their group had been conversing predominantly in English as it was a common language shared between them and Fon had said that the boy had responded to him when he had tried earlier, but they had no guarantee. If the Sky had been as Flame drunk as they suspected, it was entirely possible that he had just been reacting to the faint bond present between the two of them.

Where was their Sky even from? This current problem may be the centre of their attentions for the present, but that didn't mean they had forgotten the obvious signs of abuse that had been present on every inch of the child before he had been repeatedly doused in Sun Flames. There w_ould _be a reckoning… but only when their Sky was well enough to appreciate it.

But that was all irrelevant right now. Renato was proficient in many languages due to the nature of his work, but there were many more where he wasn't. He could only hope that he would know the right one to be able to calm the chid…

Thankfully, the Hitman was saved from his uncharacteristic fretting by the Sky finishing his assessment and simply reaching towards Renato clearly wanting to be held. At least body language was universal…

It was with some hesitance that the Sun moved over to the bed, carefully scooping the boy into his arms as he perched on the bed. He had to be mindful of the various wires connecting the Sky to the monitoring machines next to the bed, but the boy seemed to have no complaints, simply curling into his chest, one hand fisting in the material of his suit jacket. Unseen but equally insistent, the lad's Flames draped themselves over his own, attempting to get as much contact between the two as possible. Renato actually had to bite his lip to stay awake at the tidal wave of Harmony that action sent crashing through him.

"Hey now, what's all this about?"

With how quickly the child relaxed in his hold, he would have been tempted to write the event off nothing more than a tantrum and crocodile tears, but he had _felt _the sheer panic in the boy's Flames. There was no way that could have been faked which meant he had to get him to talk. Renato was considering trying again in French, the second most popular European language, when the boy mumbled something into his tie.

"You'll have to speak louder than that Tesoro, we don't all speak shirt."

The boy giggled quietly into his chest and Renato's Flames all but preened at getting such a reaction, but he didn't repeat what he'd said. Resigning himself to a drawn out not-interrogation, the Sun moved so that he was half laying back onto the pillows of the bed. If he was going to do this, then he would at least make himself comfortable for however long it took. It wasn't as though the Sky minded being lain across his chest, if the purring of his Flames was to be believed. After a moment of silence, the boy nuzzled his head further into Renato's neck and the Sun would have flinched back from the still too cold skin if he hadn't caught the words all but whispered into his ear.

"Don't like being 'lone."

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, the boy seemed to flinch back as though expecting a reprimand. With a sigh, Renato pulled him closer, starting to run a hand through the boy's fluffy hair as he mentally mapped out a shift schedule that would ensure there was someone with the boy at all times. It wasn't like they weren't already doing so, it was just bad luck that the Sky had managed to wake up on one of the rare occasions they were all occupied elsewhere.

"Then you won't be, not until you ask for it."

Little elbows and knees scrabbled against the Hitman's chest, nearly winding him as the Sky moved to peer down into his eyes.

"Promise?"

Now how was he ever supposed to say no to that face?

"Promise."

Seemingly appeased, the boy flopped forward, snuggling back into his dusty shirt before, from what Renato could tell while acting as a pillow, falling right back to sleep, the picture of contentedness.

And now he was trapped.

It had been his plan to at least shower and change into cleaner clothes before falling into bed, but laying here, the child that was well on the way to being his Sky stretched across him, well… those things could wait.

The Energy sources, mysterious illness and seals would all still be there in the morning, but for now he was going to enjoy this.

The Hitman had honestly forgotten how comfortable it was to sleep next to a Sky, a sensation that was made several times stronger by the fact that he was actually compatible with the Flames in question. That had probably been the best night's sleep he had managed in a long time and he hadn't even minded the mocking gleam that had filled Fon's eyes or the ear splitting cackle that the civilian had let loose when the two had found him in the morning, their Sky's face squished almost uncomfortably into his neck.

He still shot at the Cloud later. The Sky Flames could only do so much when faced with his unforgiving nature.

Every night after that Renato had found himself forced out of his own room and into that of their Sky by one of the others. Apparently the passive mixing of Sun and Sky Flames that occurred when they were sleeping was helping to balance the turbulent mixture of the two energies in the boy. It was only a minor help, like placing plaster on a bullet wound, but was something and, when they added Lal's Rain into the mix, it would buy them a little more time.

Thinking about things critically, that probably wasn't a good thing.

It had taken the unholy alliance of Viper and Verde just over two days to conclude that there really wasn't any other solution available, not one they would be able to find in a reasonable time frame at any rate. Giving them more time to drag their feet now was only allowing them to be drawn deeper into the boy's Harmony. Even Verde, the one who had openly stated that he had no interest in a Sky bond the moment they had brought the broken child back to the villa, had been seen reading to the child on several different occasions.

(Renato would never mention the time he had walked in on Viper with their hood down, slowly teaching the boy to count with something that looked suspiciously like American bank notes, a soft smile on their face. Not if he wanted the other to hold their silence on what had happened when Skull had left his makeup bag in the room during Renato's 'shift' and their Sky had felt _creative_…)

They were all getting attached, and it was only making the process harder than it needed to be.

An added source of frustration was the fact that none of them had managed to get a name out of the child yet. It rankled to have to keep calling him 'boy' in their minds, but every time they had resolved to get an answer, he had managed to do something to distract them completely. Still, it wasn't too big of an issue, the Sky seemed to enjoy the litany of pet names he had collected from them all at least. The only real problem it was causing was that of a very irritable, finally sober, Mist who was itching for someone to vent their frustrations on.

It didn't help their interrogations that the baby Sky had only managed to stay awake for short spaces of time either, though each time he woke, that time stretched longer. Which is how they had ended up here.

Bundled up in enough blankets to double his size and deposited into the plush orange chair reserved for him in the meeting room, the baby Sky was an endearing sight, but they wouldn't allow themselves to be distracted by it. Or, most of them wouldn't.

"Skull, if you start cooing again, I will shoot you."

From this close he could see the Cloud's throat move as he swallowed before running back to his own seat at the other end of the table. Finally, with them all seated, the meeting could begin. Now if only someone would start talking…

Precious minutes passed by as they all shifted uneasily in their seats. For his part, the child only seemed mildly curious as he looked between the faces of the adults at the table. He didn't appear overly tired at the minute, but it was only a matter of time, and not much of it. Renato sighed, ready to bite the bullet, but was cut off by the Sky.

"Are you mad?"

The words were whispered, just like every other time the boy spoke, but in the silence of the room, they may as well have been shouted. How on earth had the boy come to that conclusion? Sure, Sky's were supposed to be more than a little empathetic, that was the very core of their Harmony after all, but how could he possibly interpret the current atmosphere as _anger_?

"What? No Chibi-chan, never!"

The loud shout was enough to make the child flinch back and burry his face in his cocoon of blankets. Above his head, Renato glared.

"Of course not little bird, why would you think that?"

It was astonishing how much the Storm was able to sooth the boy with just his words, if he hadn't felt the purity of the man's Flames personally, Renato would have sworn he had some form of Rain secondary hidden away. A pity, that would have been incredibly useful right now.

"Coz I just been laying in bed!"

It was interesting how the boy's language skills devolved when he felt threatened, though if he thought on that for too long, Renato was going to skewer something.

"You are _sick _Tesoro, what else would you be doing?"

He had meant the question to be soothing but the boy continued to panic, eyes tearing up as he worried the corner of the blanket between his fingers.

"But I prom's'd! I said I be good n do chores n…"

His breath was coming faster now, short, sharp pants that choked off the end of his sentence. In the time it took for the Sun to blink, Lal was behind the Sky, running a hand through his hair as she dosed him with her Flames.

"Deep breaths gattino. There you go. Who did you promise?"

Her tone remained low and soothing as she eased the boy out of his panic attack, but abov his bowed head, her eyes flashed a vibrant blue, a threat that was echoed around the table. In this one case they finally seemed able to agree, if Checkerface had _anything _to do with this, then he was a dead man walking. In fact, this might even be the perfect opportunity to find out who exactly they had to _thank _for their baby Sky's condition, if he would only give them a name…

"Santa!"

What?

Okay, they were dealing with a child. Maybe they should just play along for now?

"And what did you promise 'Santa'?"

He could feel the disbelieving looks being shot his way, but that really wasn't his concern right now. Instead, he kept his own gaze fixed firmly on the child and was rewarded by the vibrant eyes that locked with his own, determination shining through to the point that he could almost see the flickering orange in their depth.

"Freak promised Santa he'd be good. If Santa took him to a place he was wanted then Freak would do all his chores and do everything he was told!"

Over the buzzing in his ears, he could just about make out someone swearing, though he couldn't discern who. Not that he was trying too hard, far more preoccupied by the struggle to stop his Flames from spiking with a sudden bloodlust. It would only scare the child and they had more important things to be focusing on _damnit!_

They had noticed it when he had truly started talking to them, that the boy had a bad habit of slipping into third person when talking about things that had happened in the past. Originally, they had written it off as a verbal tick, but now… it was more like the Sky was trying to distance himself from events in the past. And that name…

It took far too long for the Sun to realize that his vision going red was not simply a trick of his anger.

Throwing a coaster to snap the Storm back to reality Renato moved over to pull the boy's face up from where it was covered by blankets yet again. It took a while, but he made sure that the Sky was looking in his eyes before he responded.

"Three things there Tesoro. Count them with me."

He gently pulled the boy's hand out from the cocoon and held the tiny fist between their faces so that they could both see it clearly. Easing up one little finger he continued.

"One, the first and _most _important. You are not a _freak!_ Don't ever let me catch you calling yourself that again yes?"

He studiously kept his expression blank as he spoke, even as he felt the roiling mass of Flames spike. He ignored the feeling of Mist Flames all but choking the furious Cloud before the two vanished as he kept his eyes locked on his Sky's, waiting for a slightly shaky nod before he pushed up the second finger.

"Two, you are most definitely wanted here. Do you understand that?"

Brilliant emerald eyes began to shine with tears, but the boy nodded again. A third finger went up.

"Three, you are not our servant little one. You are five years old and it is _our _job to look after _you, _okay?

"But-"

"No buts. We are the adults here, let us look after you. Can you do that?"

The tears had really started to fall by the time the child nodded once again but Renato simply pulled the torrent of Rain Flames closer to the two of them and smiled. Apparently, that was all the reassurance the boy needed as, the next second, the Hitman found himself with an armful of clinging Sky.

Around his attempts to sooth the boy, Renato shared a look with the others still in the room before nodding at the ceiling, receiving looks of assent all around. They had been planning on broaching the subject of the seal with the boy today but after that… none of them were in the mental state necessary for such a task. It would be best to just put the boy to bed and try again in the morning. They would all need the time alone to cool their heads before they did something they probably wouldn't regret, but should put off regardless. Yes, some time to vent would do them a world of good.

Of course, that had to be the moment that Checkerface chose to appear in the centre of the room.

Renato didn't even hesitate in firing a Sun charged bullet straight at the bastard's head.


	8. Decisions Decisions

**A/N: Hi peoples, had a bit of trouble with this chapter as the characters really didn't want to co-operate, but I managed it. There's even a bit of Colonnello's PoV for you all, and Kawahira... is Kawahira. I hope you enjoy! **

**Also... I kinda made Colonnello a 'Hawkeye' like character in that he's deaf on his left side, It wasn't intentional but I left it in because I thought it was interesting. Let me know what you think.**

* * *

Looking in through the windows of the house had been almost like watching one of those crappy reality TV shows, if only they had replaced all the normal patsies with psychopaths. Actually, that was something that might be worth watching… anyway, Colonnello had spent the last week peering watching the interactions through his binoculars and he still wasn't sure what to think.

Initially, when the weirdo in the iron hat had approached them, he'd been all for running in the opposite direction, maybe screaming, maybe not, he wasn't too fussed so long as they ran. The whole offer smelled fishier than the mission that had started this whole mess, but Lal was stubborn as a mule once she'd decided on something. Not that he _hadn't_ tried to talk them out of it, but he'd known going in that it was to be a losing battle.

Following her to the meeting place had been second nature. If there was one thing he had learned in basic training it was that you _never _allowed a comrade to walk into a potentially dangerous situation alone. Waiting outside in the woods for this long had not been in the plans, but as long as Lal remained in that damned house, he wasn't moving.

Rubbing at the strange warm feeling that had settled his chest a while back, he wondered if he might be developing heartburn, it wouldn't be the first time, and Army rations could be murder on your digestion. Well, it wasn't like he couldn't put up with some minor discomfort and this wasn't even painful… just weird. And unimportant, so it was quickly tossed from his mind.

More concerning was the fact ht he was sure that at least one person had noticed his vigil despite his efforts to remain hidden. He didn't want to think what the infamous murderers in the house would do to Lal if they thought she had betrayed them so he had been employing every trick in the book to keep them unaware, even as they had started coming out to destroy the trees at seemingly random intervals. But, judging by the plates of food that had been left out on the kitchen windowsill at meal times since about two days in, whoever had noticed his presence wasn't too concerned about it.

For a brief second he had wondered if it was his Lal attempting to take care of him, but after tasting the food he had to let that dream die. Whoever had cooked this was far better at it than she had ever been and to be honest, the fact that he would need to eat probably hadn't crossed her mind. She didn't even want him to be here in the first place.

Even _more _concerning than that were the random spikes of bloodlust that he kept feeling from the house itself. If Rain hadn't been one of the Elements raging, he probably would have thrown caution to the wind and jumped right in, guns blazing. Though admittedly it had been becoming increasingly difficult to resist that impulse with every successive temper tantrum.

Yeah, no. This time he _needed_ to know what was going on.

Crashing through the window so soon after Sun Flames had spiked viciously and a gunshot had sounded probably hadn't been his best idea in the world, but he had been dodging bullets for as long as he had known Lal, it was practically second nature at this point.

Tucking and rolling as soon as he hit the ground, it was a matter of reflex that had him hidden behind a side table, his own handgun out and ready to go only to be stopped by the sharp pain of fingers grabbing his ear.

"What the _hell_ do you think you're doing idiot student?"

Ah, there was his sweet Lal now. Seems like she was in perfect health with her eyes shining prettily down at him a nice bright blue. Oh wait… that wasn't good.

"Uh… Hi?"

Owowowowowowow his ear was not meant to twist that way and the bright blue shine was getting _worse_.

"Care to introduce your stalker to us Lal?"

Was that the Storm interjecting to save him? Not something he had ever been expecting to see but, hey, he would take any help he could right now. Lal was scary when she was pissed. Over by the door, the Sun Flames spiked again (and _holy shit_ were those strong, and hot, he probably had a wicked sunburn now thanks to that) drawing everyone's attention back to where a man in a tailored suit was hauling a pile of blankets in one arm, gun out steadily in the other and eyes _burning _yellow.

"Someone explain. _Now."_

And here he thought Sun's were supposed to be _nurturing_. This one seemed more than happy to kill them all in that moment. It might be best to answer him. Like, now.

"I'm- OW damnit Lal!"

"He's my moron of a partner who decided to follow me here. Don't worry, he's harmless. You need a brain to be dangerous after all."

For a moment no body moved as they just stared the two of them down, probably trying to decide whether to trust Lal's assessment or not. With the tension in the air, Colonnello quickly decided that playing dead was probably the best chance he had of not _being _dead so he just allowed himself to hang in Lal's hold. It wasn't comfortable, but it sure beat a bullet hole. Then the moment ended and they all looked away, obviously dismissing him.

Well, that was a _great_ first impression, but at least the Sun had finally lowered his gun. No, not lowered it, moved it to cover the cherckerfaced man in the corner. Huh, Colonnello would have thought that he'd have noticed the guy before now but, to be fair, he did have bigger issues at the moment…

"Mah, Mah, is that anyway to greet someone who's come to help you? I don't appreciate being shot at and that's the second time you've done it now. How mean of you Reborn, you might actually hurt my feelings at this rate!"

Wait, Reborn? As in, the Hitman? Okay, he would be keeping Lal between himself and the gunman for the time being. Just for diplomatic reasons. Really.

"And what would you be _helping _us with? The last time you were here, you left a critically ill child alone in the woods. At night. In January. Forgive us if we're not so eager to take you up on your 'help' if that is what it entails."

Hmm, was there a competition for who could have the flattest voice? If so, then the green haired guy was putting forth a good effort, but it somehow didn't manage to beat the man in the mask. How was it possible to sound so childish, yet so bored at the same time? Had it not been for the quick flash of irritation Colonnello was sure had rushed through the man's eyes, he would have thought the Mist was completely untouched by the rebuff.

"Oh, so you really don't want my help?"

"Not particularly."

"Not even if I said I had a solution to your little… _energy_ problem?"

Obviously Colonnello had missed something here because the tension in the room sky rocketed at that, all eyes fixed on the man in the mask like sharks honing in on prey. A cold sweat broke out across the back of his neck and he seriously considered letting his Flames free for a second just to calm everyone down but the idea was quickly discarded, he _really _didn't want to have that attention focused back on him right now.

"What solution?"

Okay, he knew that Mists were generally creepy, but _damn _that voice was terrifying. Maybe he shouldn't have jumped head first into this situation after all… and it wasn't like Lal wasn't always telling him that doing so would get him killed some day. At least this was interesting?

"One that will solve the problem without _breaking _anything."

Well, that was cryptic as all get out, but it must have meant something to the others as the tension faded for a split second before shooting right back up again. They really needed to chill or they were going to give themselves heart attacks in the near future. High blood pressure was kind to _no one. _

"Why do you _care? _What do you get out of this situation?_"_

"Nothing. Nothing. I just want the best possible future for the boy."

"Bullshit! You didn't care enough about him to get him proper treatment before dropping him on us and you expect us to believe that you're suddenly _concerned_ for his _future_?"

Interesting. Lal had never been cruel to children per say, but she had definitely been… uninterested in them. Colonnello could remember her being with the small group that had rushed inside the villa that night, the Sun cradling something that he hadn't been able to see from that tree. Obviously that 'something' had been the boy they were talking about, but just what had he done in less than two weeks that had managed to awaken maternal instincts in his Commander that he would have sworn didn't exist until he heard the cold fury in her voice?

"Whatever he's doing, it would seem that he needs a complete Sky set to do it. That's why he gathered us here, and that is why he has appeared now; he cannot allow us to seal the Sky."

Sky? What Sky?

As if summoned by his thoughts, the bundle of blankets in the Sun's arms began to squirm and the pale face of a young boy, evidently the subject of the argument, popped out from where he'd been hiding (been hidden more like) in the Hitman's chest.

A slight jolt of concern washed through the soldier when he noticed that the boy's eyes looked to be having difficulty focusing on those around him but that was soon lost in heat that exploded in his chest as their eyes met. Finally Colonnello had an explanation for the sensation that had been bothering him for so long. The contact didn't last long however and he had only managed a quiet "Oh," of realisation before the Sky's eyes focused on something behind him and a blinding smile lit up the boy's face.

"SANTA!"

Had… had Lal dislodged his hearing aid when she grabbed him?

* * *

Kawahira was really beginning to despise the current Sun of this set. Admittedly, it hadn't been the best idea to warp into the middle of a room full of distressed budding Guardians and their fragile Sky without warning, but the man really had to learn to think more before he shot at something that wasn't half as patient as the Earthling was.

Unfortunately (or fortunately if the fate of existence was to be considered), before Kawahira could go about expressing his displeasure, the moment had been broken by the other Rain of the set coming literally _crashing _through the window. (And hadn't that been a surprise, approaching the Rain pacifier to see which one it had chosen for a host only to learn that the greedy thing had wanted _both_).

Thanks to the blond Rain's interruption, the Mist was able to take a few deep breaths so when the attention of the room finally shifted from the comedy act back to him (again with the guns!) he was able to continue without ripping the Hitman's heart out through his throat.

Teasing the group had been a fun little bit of payback for their stupid, _stupid _decision making skills, made even better by the fact that the new arrival clearly had no idea of what was actually happening. The tension had been slowly mounting however so he had intended to just drop the information and run again when after a sudden shout, he found himself with a child stuck to his leg.

Despite how uncomfortable the situation made him physically, his _traitorous _Flames were overjoyed, reaching down to mingle gleefully with the baby Sky Flames reaching up for him. It wasn't until he felt the foreign Mist behind him bristle like an irritated cat that he realised he should do something to stop this.

"Okay brat. Off."

That being said, Kawahira reached down to attempt to disentangle himself from the limpet, only to find his hand caught in a iron grip that prickled with Storm Flames. Oh how he hated dealing with the newly bonded, they were always so s_ensitive._

"Why is he calling you that? What stories have you been telling him?"

"How should I know, this is the first time I've been near him when he's been lucid. He just started calling me that at some point while he was ill."

Somehow the baby Sky managed to remain completely unaffected by the sudden, protective spike in Flames all around them, but Kawahira couldn't help flaring his own to ward them off. Unfortunately, that gave the Sky more of a chance to curl tighter around his own now that they weren't so tightly contained. Behind him, the Mist Flames took on a noticeably darker tone and if the Earthling didn't know that the boy was completely oblivious, he would have sworn that the Sky was doing this on purpose. As it was, Kawahira had no intentions of dealing with a territorial Mist right now, no matter how his own Flames flared at the perceived challenge.

"You mentioned a solution?"

Kawahira took back every bad thought he had ever harboured towards the Storm. The man was a literal saint.

"Yes, that. Someone get him off of me and I'll explain."

Not surprisingly, it was Viper who moved to scoop the boy up into their arms, ignoring the Sky's protests as they moved back towards the broken window, a conjured stuffed rabbit being used to placate the child as the rest of them, wary as they may be, returned to the table.

"I wasn't aware that the boy had The Spark at the time he was placed in my care, but it is something that I know considerably more about than you which opened up more avenues of research than your group has access to. Through this I managed to find a seal-"

At this, the anger spiked once again and he had to conjure a barrier between him and the Sun as the Hitman tried to shoot him _again. _After glaring them all into silence, he finally continued, sending a quick glance at the Sky who was currently distracted by stroking the fur of the rabbit, a look of complete awe on his face.

"If you'll let me finish! I found a seal that work to seal away the second energy source in the boy while leaving his Flames untouched."

You could have heard a pin drop in the silence that followed that statement. From their tensed postures, it was obvious that none of them truly trusted him, but he could also tell from the way their Flames unconsciously reached to curl around the distracted Sky that they were considering it. One thing could be said about all new Guardians, they were certainly predictable.

"Interesting. And what sort of consequences would it have? Sealing a person's soul is a delicate act, we wouldn't want to do anything that would damage the boy even further."

Of course you wouldn't, that's why you were _only _planning on convincing the boy to let you _seal_ his _Flames_ not half an hour ago. As if that held no risks of backlash either.

"Unknown. This isn't a condition that is particularly common, as you can imagine. As such, the seal is purely theoretical so we can only guess at the side effects."

"Yet you expect us to let you use it anyway?"

"Do you really have another choice? Even if you seal his Flames, you've all felt how instinctual a part of him they are. Lock them away and you leave the boy crippled to the point he will probably never recover."

Again there was silence as they all processed that, Flames curling tighter with anxiety though at least they were actually considering his suggestion. Not that he _needed _their permission, but it would make the whole process easier, and less traumatic, if he wasn't having to fight off the Elements whilst applying the seal.

"You still haven't said why you're doing this. What do you need a Sky set for and why does it so specifically have to be us? This really isn't your problem, so why are you spending so much time on it?"

Not his problem she says, if only they knew just how wrong that was! Now how to go about phrasing this in a way that wouldn't send their suspicious minds running for the hills? Normally he would have just answered with a straight up lie, but with the reputation as human lie detectors held by at least half of the group, that probably wasn't the best approach.

"I Prescelti Sette is more than just a fairy tale or a fancy title. Although it's not openly shared outside of the leading figures, the 'Strongest Seven' are a necessary neutral force needed to maintain balance. They are the ones to mediate disputes between Famiglia and… dissuade certain behaviours so to speak."

"So they're kinda like the police force of the Mafia?"

Ah yes, the Cloud was a civilian wasn't he. He probably should have remembered that, but the Stuntman had been standing there so quietly since the start that Kawahira had honestly forgotten he was even there.

"No. The Vindice are the ones to set and uphold the laws of the Mafia. Your role would be that of 'legal advice' in a way. The step before the Vindice: a warning instead of an arrest would be the civilian equivalent."

Well, that was about as close as he could get to the truth without revealing everything, even if he did hate to be reminded of that particular annoyance. Still, a neutral force for order was pretty much the role that the Arcobaleno fell into every generation so it wasn't an outright lie…

"So you need a full Sky Set in order for them to be taken seriously. But I'm curious, what happened to the last seven."

How hard would it be to find a replacement Sun? They were a pretty common Flame type so it couldn't be _that _hard to search out another one to take the place of the smug human who was _still pointing a gun at him._

At least from the way the others were all unconsciously following the Hitman's lead, their eyes squinting in suspicion as they focused back on him, it was clear that some form of hierarchy was beginning to form, a good sign for a potential Harmony. If only the 'Regent' wasn't such a pain to deal with.

"There was an… incident which resulted in the deaths of most of them. One survived, but he is no longer capable of fulfilling the role."

Not while he was under Bermuda's banner at any rate. Still, the conversation was drifting close to dangerous ground. Probably best to dangle something shiny.

"So, am I to apply the seal to the boy? If the second energy is behaving in the way I think it is, then it is probably the reason why you've all been stuck with fledgling bonds instead of full Harmony. As soon as it's removed, you should be able to bond properly."

He could tell from their faces that they knew what he was doing. Thankfully the baby Sky chose that exact moment to start letting out some deep, wracking coughs that shook his frame and pulled all eyes in the room back to him. Thank the gods for Guardian instincts. (He was going to tactically ignore the fact that he was just as focused on the Sky as the others in that moment.)

"I think we should do it, but we should probably ask Chibi-chan first. It _is _his soul we're talking about."

That… was actually a pretty insightful comment from the civilian, and if the looks of the Elements were to be believed, they were just as shocked as he was at the fact. Although asking a five year old for their opinion on such important topic wasn't the most _logical _approaches, it would at least put the Guardian's instincts to rest.

It seemed like the humans agreed and Kawahira could only watch in barely concealed shock as the every violent Hitman moved to go kneel before the boy who was still seated in the other Mist's lap, staring at him in open curiosity. Putting himself on eye level with the Sky, the Sun gently smoothed some hair back from the child's face before speaking to him in a voice softer than anything Kawahira had heard from him before.

"Tesoro, look at me. You have to understand that you are very sick right now, yes? It's the reason that you feel so sleepy all the time."

The boy nodded, eyes transfixed on the Sun as one tiny thumb made its way up to an equally tiny mouth. Before it could reach its destination, the Hitman's moved to catch the hand in his own, holding it tightly.

"At the moment, there are only two ways we know to make you better. The first way would make your body feel better, but it would also break your bonds with us all-"

"Bonds?"

"You know the warm feeling in your chest, the one that reaches out for us whenever we are near you? Do you understand what I'm talking about?"

From the grey tinge and horrified look that covered the boy's face at that, it was clear to see that the boy _did _understand what the Sun spoke about, and that he understood the consequences of the seal even better. It was probably the downright frantic gleam which overtook the boy's eyes at that, that prompted the Hitman into continuing at a slightly more hurried pace.

"The second would also make you better, but it is far more dangerous. We don't know what other affects it might have so we won't be able to prepare for them."

"But it wouldn't take the lights away?"

"No, it wouldn't break our bonds, but we have no idea what else it _would _do to you."

The boy didn't even flinch. Staring the Hitman down in a manner that was impossible for men several times his age, clutching the rabbit to him all the while, the stubborn Sky certainly cut an interesting figure, one that spoke volumes of the sort of man he could become in the future. Something deep down in Kawahira sat up and took notice at this display of willpower but he forced it down. Now was most definitely not the time.

"Want the second one."

"Tesoro, for all we know that could _kill _you."

"Don't care."

"Little one-"

"NO! All I wanted for Christmas was a nice family that wanted me and Santa me the lights and brought me here. They're mine! I don't want them to go 'way!"

Despite the determined set to his mouth, the Sky was in tears by the end of his mini-rant which seemed to be enough for the Sun. Wrapping the boy back into the blankets he had been holding onto since the boy's earlier escape, the Hitman snatched the child into his arms before walking right out of the room.

As if this was the cue they had all been waiting for, the other Elements stood from the table, talking amongst themselves in hushed whispers as they slowly followed the Sky out of the room, leaving Kawahira alone with the Lightning and Mist of the set. No sooner had the door swung shut behind the quietly bickering Rains did Kawahira find himself surrounded in a sea of agitated Mist Flames.

He really should have seen this coming.

It took a deep breath and counting backwards from ten before the Earthling considered himself calm enough to turn and face his assailant, only to find the Information Broker attempting to crowd him in a distinctly threatening manner. For a second, he only blinked at the other Mist in silence before they spoke.

"I. Do. Not. Share. Keep your Flames to yourself."

Of course. Mists may be more grounded than the classic Clouds, but they were still possessive bastards at their core. Despite the sharp edge to his Flames that demanded he face the challenge head on, Kawahira only sent the other a mocking grin from behind his mask.

"No need to get so worked up, I'm not interested."

Off to the side, the Lightning snorted and despite the other Mist's face being shrouded in shadow, their scepticism radiated off them in waves.

"Liar. But I'll let it go for the present. Now tell us what you know about this alternative seal."


	9. Obscuring Mist

**A/N: Hi guys, one last chapter before the Half-Term break ends and I go back to work soI thought I'd give you some of Viper's PoV this time :p**

**Important- As I am a trainee teacher (English, obviously :P) I'm going to have a lot less time until the Christmas break where I will probably be able to go back to daily updates. Up until then, I can only really promise updates on week ends. I hope you guys stick with me, even with the slower updates. And, as always, I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Sometimes Lal could only wonder what went on in the blond idiots head. Then there were times like now when she was sure that it was nothing but a wind up monkey doing flips and banging its symbols together. It certainly made more sense than an actual brain being present for the decision to crash through the damned _window_. Thankfully the situation had been one that meant his presence was easily pushed aside for now, but the two of them would be having _words _later.

At least the new thoughtful turn that had come over the other Elements meant that she didn't need to reign in her own Flames. Right now she wasn't even sure that she could.

As much as she trusted her second, her Flames had still begun to scream at her the moment he had made his dramatic entrance, hissing at the potential challenger for her position of Rain in this newly forming harmony. It had taken more effort than she cared to admit to pull them back and remind herself that this was _Colonnello, _the man who was pretty much her other half in every meaning of the word. She had absolutely nothing to fear from him.

That didn't stop her from taking a little vindictive pleasure in hearing him yelp as she steered him out of the room by the ear and right out of the villa's door. She never claimed to be a _forgiving _person. As such, she kept her grip firm until they hit the tree line where she unceremoniously threw the whining man into the tree ahead of her and drew her gun. She didn't want to think about anything for a little while, and the blond had just offered himself as the perfect distraction.

90 minutes later when she finally got tired of chasing the Sniper through the branches, Lal relaxed her stance and Colonnello was on her in seconds, a firm hand running through her hair in a manner that had always managed to calm her, even before their Flames had awakened.

"What's going no Lal?"

Wasn't that the question? She wasn't even sure she could answer it and she had been there for _everything. _Just how was she supposed to explain the whole mess that had been the last few weeks.

"What do you know?"

A delaying tactic, but it might be easier to just fill in the gaps in his understanding. As much as she liked to call him an idiot, Colonnello was a shrewd man, the chances were he'd already worked out a fair bit of what had happened.

"That the kid's a Sky, a sick one. A sick Sky that we have a Harmony bond with. Are they really supposed to form this fast?"

"No, normally they take months, but the stronger the Flames involved the fast- what do you mean 'we'?"

Just when she had finally managed to calm her Flames down he had to say something that had them up and furious once again. Sensing the change in her mood, the man took a step back, raising his open hands in surrender.

"I didn't notice until I was in the room with him earlier, but the Sky's Flame has grabbed both of us pretty tightly. I can feel him in our bond, check on your end you'll see."

It was true that their bond was pretty close as they usually were with compatible Flames of their level. Theoretically, it could be possible for a Sky to latch into that and pull them both into Harmony, but the chances of that were astronomical… Eventually her curiosity overwhelmed her scepticism and she turned her attention inwards, absently noticing Colonnello move back to her side as she did so.

It still took a little while for her to find the deep pool she had always associated with her Flames, the months of practice only helping the slightest bit when it came to still awakening instincts, but once she found it, she was amazed. Right in the shallows of the pool where he own navy mixed with Colonnello's lighter aquamarine, there was a thin line of brilliant amber that ran between the two.

Even as she watched, her eyes blown wide in shock, her Flames tried to pull her towards the new colour, happily bubbling away with a mixture of smugmineshinyprettyours_mine _as they appeared to try and pet the glowing strand. Curiosity well and truly piqued now she slowly reached her hand toward the light, only to snap it backwards as her own Flames flared at her, their message of 'No touch. Mine!' coming through loud and clear.

Since when had they become so sentient? Or that possessive?

At least that explained while they were still snarling at the other Rain in warning despite the fact they were apparently co-Guardians to this baby Sky. Still, she was already dealing with too much weirdness to want to deal with that right now, so she put the unusual behaviour out of her mind as she opened her eyes again only to be greeted by her student's baby blues staring back at her, concern clearly visible in their depths.

"What's wrong? Don't you feel it?"

His words were beginning to climb in volume again, just like they always did when he started getting emotional. Now that just wouldn't do. Reaching up to his good ear she began to twist it again, feeling some of her tension fade with that familiar action.

"Of course I feel it, idiot student. Now stop stalling, what else have you figured out?"

"Owowowow, I give, I give."

She briefly considered continuing, but the chances of her getting an actual answer like this were pretty low so she eventually took some pity on him and allowed the appendage to slip from her fingers.

"Thank you. Anyway, all I know is that our Sick baby Sky has something wrong with his… soul? Yeah, and that it's killing him. So you were going to seal his Flames, which is really stupid if you ask m-OW! I'm sorry! Okay, sealing Flames, totally not a bad idea, but now it's not necessary because the man in the mask has a different solution?"

Well, that was close enough. All that was really missing was how completely _nerve wracking_ it was to find yourself suddenly bound to a critically ill Sky with absolutely no chance to prepare. The understanding of that would come with time however and when she thought of how long they had already been away from the villa and what had happened last time she had tried this… time was something that they really didn't have right now. Still, Lal had always been a huge fan of the 'learn by experience' style of teaching, and what better time to start than the present?

"Near enough, other than a few other health scares that's everything important at the moment. Now however, we need to head back to the villa before one of the others decides to burn it to the ground?"

"And the chances of that happening are?"

"About the same chances of the Sun setting in the west."

"…"

"This is your life now Colonnello, welcome to hell!"

* * *

They were not nice.

If there was one thing that Viper could universally apply to themself no matter what disguise they were wearing or role they were playing it was that. Niceness was not something anyone could really cling to in the Mafia, but not many had made the conscious choice to cut it out of their being entirely like they had.

Maybe they had been nice once, they had been many things at one point or another, but if they had, it was a long time ago.

They were possessive, sadistic, greedy and spiteful. They were not the sort of person that anyone ever enjoyed spending time with, they had worked hard to make it that way, which is why it made no sense that now, after several hours of intensive negotiations back and forth with the Lightning and the _other Mist, _they were being stared at by such innocently concerned green eyes.

"What is it Hase? Shouldn't you be in bed?"

They purposefully kept their voice flat, just as they always did when speaking to anyone, but to look at him, the Sky was completely unfazed. Instead he grabbed a hold of Viper's cloak and used it to climb onto their lap before beginning to pet the top of their hood as the illusionist sat there, stunned to inaction.

"What are you doing?"

"Shhh."

Where was Reborn? It was completely out of character for the Sun to let the toddler go anywhere without a escort, so the absence of any type of minder for the boy was suspicious. Enduring the petting for now, Viper subtly flared their Flames in an attempt to find who ever had put him up to this, only to come back empty. So this wasn't a prank, but then… what was it?

"Hase?"

"Shhhh."

Sky or not, they did not appreciate being shushed like a disobedient child. In one swift move they managed to capture the boy's hand before moving him so that they could look at his face. Despite the pout that was shot their way, their glare remained firm.

"What are you doing?"

"Don't cry!"

Who was crying? Had the boy had a bad dream? If the Sun had finally remembered that he was human and therefore required sleep, it was possible that the boy had forgone waking him in the aftermath of a nightmare and had gone searching for someone else to comfort him instead, but then… why was he the one attempting to do the comforting? And in any rate…

"I'm not crying."

"You are, I can feel it!"

"What makes you say that?"

"Cause I can feel your light and it's all sad n shaky! Don't you like Santa?"

Ah, these 'lights' must be how the boy was interpreting their Flames through the bond, the other Mist had certainly sent their own into a near rage at his appearance, and the testing tongues of Flame he had sent at _their _Sky, but he hadn't thought that the fledgling bond was strong enough for the child to notice. And how on earth had he managed to confuse their possessive anger for s_adness _of all things?

"I wasn't sae Hase, I was simply annoyed that ah… Santa was poking his nose where it doesn't belong."

"Nu-uh, your light says you're sad, so you're sad!"

Well, they couldn't fault the boy's conviction, but the fact remained that they were not c_rying _no matter what the child claimed. If they were being honest, and it would probably be the first time in many years that they _were_, they had been feeling so much frustration in recent days that they doubted they were even _capable_ of experiencing any other emotion right then.

Coming from a Family that had long since dived into the very depths of the underworld, they had been raised on stories of Harmony bonds. After awakening their Flames at a young age they had also been fed the idea that one day they would find the perfect Sky and have their own 'happily ever after', or as close as anyone got in the Mafia anyway. As a child they had swallowed these stories wholly and completely, and they had dreamed about just what their Sky would be like when they had found them.

And then _it _had happened.

It wasn't until many months after the fact that they had finally managed to put all the pieces together, but at the time, all they had really been able to process was how brightly the blood of their parents had shone in the firelight as their world burned around them.

Their family had been betrayed, and it was through luck alone that they had been spared the same fate as the others. A family of Spies and Information Brokers taken out in one night by a rogue apprentice who had been selling secrets for months right under their noses before finally allowing a rival Famiglia through the front door. They hadn't known. No one had.

After that, they had gone from one friendly Famiglia to another, desperately hoping that _someone _would help them get some form of vengeance, but no one had wanted to know. What would be the point in starting trouble over a small family that, through their neutrality, had never held much political power? As they were already dead, wasn't it better to just leave it alone and not rock the boat?

Left alone with no funds and no leads, they had raged for three days straight before a iron resolve had tempered itself in their chest. They would never be in such a situation again. If information and money were what made the world spin, then they would master both and no one would ever think to act against them again!

After that night, they had left behind everything. Their inheritance, their face, even their _name _had been left to rot in the ashes of their family home. And when all that died, so too did their dreams. What was a Harmony bond other than another weakness to be exploited after all? A childish ideal for a childish mind. They didn't need it anymore.

They didn't _want_ a Sky.

For many years they had kept that resolve, ruthlessly pursuing their goal until they stood at the very pinnacle of all they had ever wanted to be and they were, if not happy, then content with the way their life had turned out. Only for it to all come crashing down in seconds when those bright, aureate sparks had reached for their own, sending the repressed Mist instincts _wailing _in the back of their mind.

They had not expected the Sky. They had not anticipated the intensity of their own reaction. They had run.

Unfortunately, putting distance between the two of them had done nothing to quiet their Flames, and now that the ache of loneliness had been freed for the first time in nearly twenty years… it had hurt more than they had expected. That was probably why other people preferred grieving over repression actually.

After that, it had taken them approximately five hours of attempting to drown their emotions at the nearest bar before they had given into the inevitable and latched onto the one thing that had always helped them cope in the past. They had gone hunting.

First things first, they had sent out word to their network that they had found a young Sky showing clear signs of neglect and abuse. With that small bit of information they had managed to light a fire beneath the collective Famiglia's across Europe. If any one of them were the ones behind this, as unlikely as it may be given the Mafia's general attitude towards Skies, it would soon be brought to light and Viper wouldn't even need to lift a finger to destroy them. Everyone else would be more than happy to do it for them.

That avenue covered, they had turned their mind to some of the stronger European (the boy was clearly Caucasian) Famiglias that had been thought to have died out in the last century or so. A Flame that strong couldn't have come from a truly civilian background (they would be looking into the Cloud _later_) but if he wasn't from any current Famiglia, that left the dead ones.

It took the better part of a week, calling in many more favours than they would have dreamed of squandering like this if the faint warmth of distressed Sky Flames were not still flickering faintly at the back of their mind, but they had finally narrowed everything down to a list of five families.

The Peverell Famiglia was the first one that they had thought to look into, the Famiglia's reputation of being the ones you went to if you wanted to disappear entirely (no one could ever really work out if they were assassins or just really powerful Mists) meant that they would be the most likely choice for a member to have slipped through the cracks in the Mafia's information network.

Unfortunately, they had only just begun their search, forcing back their irritation at the English rain that never seemed to stop, when they had crossed paths with someone who had made a faint, niggling thought in the back of their head swell into an overwhelming alarm bell.

The Sky's Flames had sparked at him.

Having an eidetic memory was more often a blessing than anything when it came to the information business, but now, with their mind throwing up the pages and pages of research they had torn through when looking into that elusive second energy, they couldn't help but curse it. No matter what they had read, the conclusion had always been the same one:

Dying Will Flames and The Spark could not exist within the same soul.

It had been comforting at the time, knowing that their chances of meeting another person capable of wielding that particular weapon in the Mafia were slim to none, but now…

A tiny hand went back to petting their head and Viper froze, mind snapping back to the present and the little Sky who had been causing so much trouble as of late. Admittedly, after they had returned to the villa, between explaining to the other fledgling Guardians and searching desperately for a solution to this new problem, they had not really had time to sort the memories back into their box, meaning that a faint trace of the emotions they inspired still echoed through Viper's Flames, but it was faint. They had become a master of controlling their Flames over the years and none of the other Elements had been able to feel their distress, so how had the Sky?

If the boy had commented on the sheer anger that had reared its head at Checkerface's intrusion in their bond, then they could probably understand it, but the child had specifically said they were _crying._

Yes, they had deliberately found an isolated room where they would be able to seethe in peace, but they didn't think that they could be classed as 'sad'. Even if that icy feeling that had ripped through their chest when the other Mist had reached for the boy's Flames and the Sky had reached _back _had yet to fade, they were fine. This Sky had been the first one to call for them since they had decided _not _to search for Harmony all those years ago and even if the child tried to claim a different Mist well… Viper was not _nice._

Finally deciding to just go with the whims of the child, they reached forward to pull the boy closer on their lap, using their cloak to shield him from the chill that was beginning to permeate the room and revelling at the feeling of Harmony that sung through the bond at the action.

This new position, both physically and with their Flames, allowed them to sense the faint resonation of the Elements on the other side of the bond, but they ignored it. Even as the clashing Rains finally calmed and fused together, both melding into the Harmony like it was made for them, Viper ignored it.

They were not nice. And they. Did. Not. Share.

Not even for ridiculously fluffy Sky's with too pure Flames.


	10. Surge Protection

**A/N: Here you go. A long awaited chapter (though not really). I hope you enjoy it.**

**WARNING: There is a lot of blood mentioned in the chapter and something that might class as a graphic description but I'm not sure? It's probably not too bad with this chapter, but if this effects you, please be careful.**

**Translation note:**

**Skull - 'You have got to be kidding me?'**

**P.S- if there are any specific scenes that you would like to see, I am taking requests for one shot side stories. One is already up (Make those Grey Skies Blue) and another will be released tomorrow, but if you have one you want to see, let me know and I'll see what I can do!**

* * *

There was a shard of glass in his finger. It wasn't particularly large, nor was it all that unique but it was there, biting deep enough that it had sliced through the epidermis and lodged itself into one of the blood vessels within. Around the edges of the incision, a sluggish stream of blood began to well up before rolling down the elevated appendage to pool in the palm of his hand. He could see all this, had watched it happen, but there was something stopping him from processing it.

How had the glass ended up in his hand?

He had been in his lab. He was always in his lab.

He was researching something… something to do with flames? Fire? No, dying will Flames. The Mafia. It was always something to do with the Mafia nowadays.

He had been researching Flames, the _sealing _of Flames because… warmth. Real warmth just to the side, touching his arm, his bloody hand, curling in his chest. Sky. There was a Sky here.

"Mr Verde?"

Tearing his eyes away from the drying tracks on his skin, he glanced to the side, coming face to face with the young boy he had only just remembered existed. The young _Sky_ that had done something that almost sent him sprawling to the floor, but was now staring at him in open concern even as the world flickered black around the edges.

Unthinking, he slammed his hand back onto the work desk to stop himself from falling. Right into the shattered remains of what had once been a measuring beaker. So that was where the glass came from.

Something was wrong. His senses, normally razor sharp to the point of overstimulation, were dulled. Everything felt slower, like a layer of cotton was being forced upon him from all sides. Even his mind, his most prized possession, was refusing to work at full capacity. His muscles ached. Poison? He hadn't consumed anything lately. Airborne?

A spike of panic shot through him and his eyes found the child who was looking close to panic and almost dead on his feet, but otherwise unharmed.

Not poison then. But what else could it be?

"Mr Verde you need to sleep!"

Sleep? It had only been four days since he'd last done that and he'd done his normal five hours. He should still have at least two more days before he got like this, his Flames rendering such a thing as tiredness irrelevant. His Flames that were currently being suppressed by a blanket of shy yet determined orange.

"What did you _do _brat?"

"Mr Verde needs to sleep!"

He was not Reborn. The Hitman might cave to that face, but that was not going to work on him.

"No I don't. Let my Flames go."

"No!"

Why had all of the others been so overjoyed at the idea of the boy finally waking up? Yes it meant that it was less of a hassle getting the boy to consume nutrients this way, but it also came with the added annoyance of actually having to deal with the child. Still, Sky though he may be, the boy was still only five years old, not to mention ill. Overpowering the Sky's grasp on his Lightning should be easy enough.

Or not.

Despite the boy's long period of unconsciousness, it seemed like his Flames had no trouble slipping and coiling around the prongs of Lightning that attempted to shake them loose. In fact, it seemed like the more that he attempted to break free, the closer the immature Flames held him, reaching deeper into his core until Verde was jolted back to reality by the feeling of his knees hitting the tiled floor. Looking up, he now found himself at the perfect height to glare directly into the boy's shining eyes.

"Let me go."

"No. You're hurting. Sleep!"

Hurting? Surely he couldn't mean the cut in his finger, that had only occurred _because _the child had decided to suppress his Flames, not before.

"There's nothing wrong with me. Now leave me to my work."

If the others really wanted to go through with their moronic decision to use this new, untested seal on the boy then Verde needed to make sure that he knew as many of the side effects as possible. Lord knew that the second even the slightest thing went wrong the boy's over protective Guardians would be breathing down _his _neck expecting answers. This was _not _what he'd signed up for _damnit!_ He was a scientist, and inventor, a researcher. He was _not _a doctor, nor a seal specialist.

"Nu-uh. Green light's tired. You need sleep!"

And there was one of the reasons why he was actually expending so much effort on curing this brat. Every active Flame user he had spoken to had described their Flames in certain patters. Rain's tended to see their Flames and bonds as water. Storms as wind. He himself could practically _taste _as different flavours of energy running across his skin. There was always some form of difference, due to how the people's psyches differed slightly from person to person, but they generally ran along the same lines. For the boy, they could only assume that these 'lights' where how he experienced other people's Flames, but unlike others, he was able to sense them even without having to focus. Was this a Sky thing or something unique to the boy? He had never gained access to a Sky before and the possibilities were endless…

Not that he would do anything to _hurt_ the baby Sky.

Well, he didn't intend to, but if the boy kept pushing… well, accidents happened. (He chose to ignore the spark of fury that raced through him at that. He had been denying his instincts since he was little taller than the child before him. He wouldn't start listening now.)

Obviously the Sky had sensed something in his Flames as the next second he was almost choking on the flood of Harmony that had him slumping even further down. At this rate he would be better off just giving in and sleeping for an hour or so. If not then he could be stuck here arguing with the child for even longer. It was only logical, and had nothing to do with the depth of sheer concern that was being sent his way.

"Fine. Just let go. I can't do anything like this."

The boy stood there for a moment regarding him with open suspicion (good instincts, but Verde would humour him, this time) before slowly releasing the chokehold on his Lightning Flames not completely, but enough that the difference was obvious.

The flood of energy hit him like a sudden bout of vertigo leaving Verde blinking back spots for a few seconds as the world settled around him. Finally, once the ground was settled beneath his feet, he was able to push himself upright. He barely had time to regain his footing however before his wrist was being grabbed in a deceptively strong grip and he was being pulled from the room. Any other time he would have brushed the touch off, but warmth radiating from those fingers sunk deep into his muscles and left him feeling lethargic. Fighting the boy off would be just too much effort at this point.

Slowly, due to both his own dragging feet and the boy's unsteady steps, the two of them made their way upwards out of the lab. Thankfully the entrance hall was clear and they were able to make it to the room Verde had claimed for his own uses without any of the others seeing him in such a weakened state.

Once the door had closed behind him, the energy he had been relying on evaporated once again and he was forced to catch himself on the bed frame.

"I get the point brat. I'll sleep."

He doesn't remember how he did it, but the next thing he knew, he was laying face down on the blankets, a sharp pinch from his right hand enough to focus his thoughts for just long enough to notice the tiny hands that were running through his hair.

His last thought was that someone else must have followed them into the room, before another wave of Harmony washed over him and he gave into his body's need for sleep.

* * *

Slipping the shard of glass into the little plastic bag he had been given, Skull could only sigh. Doing this to the scientist felt wrong, like drugging him, and from the faint pout on his Sky's face, the boy agreed with him. The fact remained however, that the two energies were fighting in the kid's soul causing more damage every day. They needed to place the seal on the boy sooner rather than later but, despite Dr Creepy's insistence that he didn't care for Chibi-chan, the man hadn't let them even consider it until he had worked through every possible negative outcome. His Flames had shocked them every time they had so much as reached for the Sky until they had agreed to wait.

The other's assured him that if the Scientist hadn't spent the last four days straight locked in his lab, not sleeping or eating once in that time, suppressing his Flames like that wouldn't have worked. It was only because the man was able to draw upon that secondary reserve of energy that he hadn't passed out already and that couldn't be healthy. From how quickly he had fallen asleep, practically the moment he had entered the room, completely missing Skull by the door, it was obvious that he needed this.

He still felt guilty.

When it started to look like Chibi-chan was going to cry, Skull scooped the kid up and hurried the two of them out of the room. After all the effort it had taken to get the man to sleep in the first place, he didn't want to risk anything waking him up.

"Hey now Chibi-chan, no need to cry!"

The boy didn't answer at first, simply letting his head rest against the Stuntman's leather clad shoulder, but Skull could feel the heat of the tears against his skin, even if he couldn't hear them. For a second he had to stop in the hall and force back his anger before he could keep walking. Children shouldn't be this quiet, especially when they were upset.

"Feel mean."

"I know. Me too, but sometimes people forget that they need to look after themselves. When that happens, it's the job of their friends to do it for them. Okay Chibi-chan."

Another silence grew after that and Skull nearly managed to make it to the meeting room when the boy spoke again and Stuntman froze with his hand on the doorhandle.

"Never had a friend before."

"Glumești, nu-i așa?"

Just who had his Sky been living with up until now and how could Skull go about obtaining 6 gallons of concentrated Sulphuric acid?

The boy in his arms flinched at the angry tone to his voice and Skull quickly found himself backtracking, pulling the boy close both physically and with the weird energy that the others had told him were called Flames.

"Ah, no Chibi-chan, I'm not mad at you! Oh! I know! How about I be your friend? Then you can tell everyone that the Great Skull-Sama was your first friend and they'll all be super jealous!"

He could feel the boy's flames reaching back, testing him for sincerity, before he relaxed back into Skull's hold.

"mm'kay."

And like that, the little one was asleep again, thumb firmly wedged in his mouth again despite the number of times Reborn had attempted to break that habit. One more disaster averted.

With a sigh of relief, Skull finally pushed down on the handle, but when he went to move into the meeting room, he was stopped by the barrel of a gun against his head. He was really getting tired of that greeting.

"What took you so long?"

"Creepy's stubborn and Chibi-chan nearly had a breakdown about controlling him."

He slipped the bag with the bloody glass shard into the Hitman's (and Jesus Christ, what had his life become that he was willingly working with such a person) hands before pushing past him into the room.

Unlike the first day he had been her, and pretty much every day since, the circular table and set of chairs were absent leaving nothing but a large room with hard wood floors and blank walls. It was actually pretty chilling to see it like this, like a school after dark it just felt _wrong._

Arranged around the edges of the room were Ms Lal and her boy-toy who were standing so close together they might as well have been hugging, the ever calm Master Fon who was meditating by the open window and Viper, still completely hooded, floating in a corner that was as far away from the centre of the room as they could get without actually leaving. In said centre sat Checkerface who looked to be in the middle of painting a circle on the floorboards with red ink and a brush. Or, at least, he hoped it was ink.

"Are we sure all of this is necessary?"

He wasn't squeamish in the slightest. Hell, he had seen more of his own blood than anyone should be able to see and still walk away from it, but this whole thing was beginning to feel far too much like witchcraft for his liking. He'd spent some time in New Orleans when he was still part of a travelling show and he had seen enough of their practices to be put off of Voodoo and that ilk for good.

"The Spark is an energy source far older and more complex than Flames. If you want to seal it without breaking your Guardian bonds and sending your Sky into discord then, yes, this is necessary. Did you get the blood?"

"There isn't a lot here, just enough to stain the glass. Will that do?"

Skull was quite pleased that he had managed not to flinch at Reborn's sudden appearance over his shoulder. It wasn't the first time that the older man had done that to him in the past few days and he was pretty sure that it wouldn't be the last either. Looks like he was actually getting pretty resigned to living with crazy people for the foreseeable future. How sad.

"I don't need a lot. Hand it here."

The Hitman moved forward, carefully edging around the designs on the floor as he handed over the bag only for Checkerface to upend it into the bowl of blank ink beside him. Skull's hand ached just looking at that bowl, even if it had only needed a drop of blood from all of them for whatever the mad man was planning, the problem remained that Skull _didn't bleed._ Not from simple paper cuts at least, the wounds just healed too quickly.

In hindsight, he probably shouldn't have stuck the knife through his hand like that, but death by paper cut was a _thing _and it was _painful _and he had just wanted it _over with_ by that point. He didn't even care about the morbidly intrigued looks it had gained when his whole hand had burst into purple flames. They were going to find out eventually anyway.

"You never explained how this was supposed to work in the first place. Why do you expect us to trust you."

Viper really had been in a bad mood lately. Whenever their employer was even mentioned it was like a cloud of death settled over whatever room they were in at the time. Just having the two of them in the same room right now was almost unbearable, but hopefully this would be over soon and Checker would leave. Hopefully.

"Freely given blood is a powerful thing. With it used in the in, the seal will know to avoid it when moving through the boy, leaving your bonds untouched."

"I'm not sure Creepy's blood was 'freely given'. He doesn't even know what we're doing here or he'd be attempting to kill us right now."

"He made the wound that drew the blood himself. It counts."

Just what was he supposed to say to that? Probably best to just ignore it and pretend that his life didn't now revolve around supernatural powers, soul bonds and blood rituals. Honestly, it hadn't even been a month since this whole mess began and things were already this crazy.

"Bring the Sky here."

Yup, give the boy over to the weirdo covered in blood and ink in the middle of the floor so that the weird voodoo ritual could begin. Great. Now if only he could convince his legs to move towards Checker and not the door.

It helped to know that every eye in the room was fixed squarely on the little boy in his arms now. If the weirdo tried anything he would probably be dead before he could get too far. That still didn't make it any easier to put the defenceless, _sleeping _boy down in the circle however. As soon as Checkerface reached for their Sky, the tension in the room soared.

With slow, deliberate motions that clearly broadcasted his movements, the man gently removed the boy's t-shirt before laying him in the exact centre of the runic circle. Once there, he took a clean brush and, using the black ink they had all bled into earlier, he began to paint even more complicated designs across the boy's chest.

From the first contact of the brush and the boy, a weird, sort of electric, energy bloomed into existence around the circle and continued to grow with each stroke that followed. It got to the point where Skull had to instinctively flare his Flames just to be able to breathe and he could feel the others do the same. That seemed to be exactly what the energy was waiting for and the second their Flames went visible around them, it seized hold, drawing on their reserves to feed whatever was happening in the now _glowing _circle.

Skull wanted to cry out. Wanted to jerk away. Shout. Do something but he couldn't. He was only able to stand there, feeling his energy levels steadily drop as the light around _his _Sky grew brighter.

When the light reached a pitch where he could no longer see the boy, Skull's instincts woke up with a roar. Something deep within hissed that this must have been a betrayal by the outsider, frantically urging him to . His. Sky.

And then the boy screamed.

The reaction was immediate and brutal. The light around the boy shattered a split second before he would have launched himself at the threat, sight be damned, but the anger in his veins froze at Checkerface's panicked shout.

"Sinclair. Heal him now!"

The Hitman raced forward, falling to his knees before the two figures on the floor, his hand glowing a brilliant gold as it settled over the boy's head.

Skull couldn't breathe.

Although the lines on the floor had vanished with the light, the floor boards were already beginning to take on a red tint again as they soaked up the blood that was streaming down the little boy's face.

His head… looked like someone had taken a meat cleaver and carved a line right down the centre of his brow. It reminded Skull of a man he had seen when he had still lived on the streets …

There was so much blood.

And Skull… Skull _raged._

Storming forward before any of the others could see what he had, he seized Checkerface by the collar and forced the man to look him in the eye. Burning Violent cutting deep into stunned indigo.

"What. The. _Hell_. Was. _That_?"

The dead-man-walking licked his lips once. Twice. Mouth opened. Shut. He sent another glance down to the gory scene playing out on the floor.

"An unforeseen complication."


	11. Haze

**A/N: Hi People, a day later than planned, but here we are. (In my defence, there is some major flooding in my area and even though I live on a hill and am therefore above the water, it still makes travelling anywhere a nightmare!)**

**This chapter holds something that I know a lot of you have been wanting to see for a long time so I hope you enjoy it!**

**P.S; I've written another fluffy one shot between Harry and Colonnello if you want to check it out. It's called 'Sweet Dreams are Made of This'. I have one more planned, but if there are any more you want to see, just let me know.**

* * *

This had been a mistake.

From the second that the other Mist had begun to draw his runic designs on the wooden floor, their instincts had been screaming at them that something was wrong. At the same time, their newly awakened Guardian instincts had combined with their memory of their frantic research insisting that this was the _only _way to help their Sky. The two inclinations had warred in their head and, ultimately, they had done nothing. And now their baby Sky was paying for it in blood.

The scream had been enough to awaken old memories and freeze the blood in their veins. They were moving the second they were able, but even that was not fast enough for their liking. By the time they reached the centre of the circle (and they damned themself for choosing to linger at the furthest point possible from the _traitor_) Reborn was already there, Flames flaring wildly as they sought to close the wound that seemed to refuse to heal. Off to the side, the Cloud had the other Mist all but pinned against the wall.

To interrupt the Cloud in a protective rage or the Sun in a Healing frenzy?

Neither of them were enviable positions to be in, but it looked like the civilian would be enough to keep their benefactor still for now and with the two Rains edging in the direction, it was unlikely for the man to make an escape. The Sun it was.

Making sure to broadcast their every move, they slowly drifted over until they were able to settle off to the side of the Sky, keeping clear of the Hitman who barely even glance in their direction. Although it stung to not even be considered a _possible _threat, they would take it over being attacked right now.

Up close, the wound on the Sky's head looked far worse than they had first anticipated and, even though it was surrounded by a veritable _sea _of Sun Flames, it was still as clear and jagged as when it had first appeared. As jagged as the scar that had sat on their Sky from the moment they had found him. Was that what was causing this?

It took some effort to manipulate their Flames into a correct frequency to resonate with the frantic Sun, but they were not considered the best in their field for no reason. When they finally reached the point where they would be able to scan the child without setting off the Sun's protective instincts, they slowly lowered their hand to the boy's brow, touching what they could through Reborn's splayed fingers.

What they felt there made them recoil in horror.

"So you felt it too. I hoped the ritual would destroy it, but it looks like I was wrong."

Viper could feel their eyes begin to glow with the heat of their Flames as they turned to stare at the arschloch behind this all.

"And _what _exactly do you mean by that? _Why _is there another soul, a _broken soul _inside _our _Sky?"

If the man had even the slightest role in this, they were going to shred his body into pieces so small that they wouldn't even be suitable for mulch. And then they would hand them over to the Storm who was nearing boiling point next to them.

"What?! There's another soul in Chibi-chan? Get it out!"

That… was actually a good idea from the Cloud. Sending the boy a hard look, to which they received a nod of agreement and the hand around Checkerface's neck tightened to the point that the skin visible beneath the mask began to take on a grey tint, they turned back to the toddler on the floor.

"Fon, if I can isolate the second soul, you will need to be the one to destroy it."

The martial artist nodded his agreement before shifting into position. Taking a deep breath, they held it in, using the slight ache of their ribs to settle their mind once again before releasing it and moving to their own place opposite the Storm.

And now came the hard part.

"Mou, Reborn, you need to hold back your Flames, they will only get in the way while we destroy this monstrosity."

And what a monstrosity it was. Even now they could feel the shredded edges of the thing reaching out and attempting to grab hold of the baby Sky they were resting in. From the state of the soul, it would seem that it had been hacked apart, and from the scarring it had not been the first time. Just how did one go about mutilating their soul to this point? They were lacking in data and it was _infuriating. _

Off to their side, the Sun's eyes flashed yellow and he barred his teeth in a wordless snarl, but thankfully he still held enough of his mental faculties to understand the logic in their words. Slowly, the golden Flames began to pull back, but the Hitman kept his hawk like gaze fixed on them, unblinking in his vigil.

With a clear path, it was the work of seconds to find the vile stain on the backdrop of pure reaching orange, but without the constant onslaught of Sun Flames, it was beginning to spread, seeping outwards like a poison. They would have to act quickly.

Corralling the reaching tendrils back into one spot was tricky, they seemed almost sentient in the way that they ducked and twisted around the barriers they attempted to construct around them. Still, Viper was the world's strongest Mist, they knew more than enough to deal with even the trickiest of opponents, it was their speciality. In the Mafia, if you couldn't fight stronger, or harder, you fought s_marter_. It was the only way to survive, and they had always been a survivor. In the matter of minutes, they had it locked up tight.

"Now."

The Storm was volatile and furious, but still oddly gentle as they worked past the Mist barrier, not forcing it with brute strength like so many of that alignment. The stain attempted to resist, but against the disintegrating nature of the Storm they stood little chance and they were soon smashed to pieces like driftwood left out in a hurricane. Viper took a special kind of vindictive pleasure as their soul appeared almost to s_cream _as it was roughly torn to shreds.

Finally, when the last echo of the stain had been obliterated with immense prejudice, they allowed their Flames to flicker and die out. First the ritual and now the containment had been draining to the point that they were reaching the end of their reserves, but they refused to let it show. They were not done yet.

As soon as he was given the all clear, Reborn surged forward again and the wound closed over so quickly it steamed, leaving behind nothing more than a faint silver scar that was almost unnoticeable against the moon pale skin of the boy. They felt the Sun pulling the Sky into his arms again, a position that had become increasingly common over the last week, but they paid it no mind, glare once again fixed on the other Mist who had caused it all. The other Mist who was beginning to squirm in the infuriated glares of the majority of a pissed off Harmony.

A pissed off Harmony of the world's strongest Flame weilders.

Off to their side, they heard the, now very, familiar click of a gun cocking.

"I think you have some explaining to do. Now!"

* * *

Why, oh _why _had he not thrown the damned pacifier in the river? In fact, why hadn't he just destroyed the whole set while he was at it? Surely the end of the world wouldn't have been so bad?

He could swear that Sepira was laughing at him, it would have been just like here to have planned this. One day, when this was all over, he would have to ask her just what he had done to earn her ire this time, but for now, he could feel the gloved hand and enraged Cloud Flames tightening their grip around his throat. It might be in his best interest to answer. Especially as that damned Sun was pointing a gun at him _yet again._

"As I said, a complication. I don't really know enough about it to explain it."

There was a brush of long hair next to his ear and the chill of frozen Rain Flames trailing down his spine, a threat if ever he had felt one.

"Try."

It was just his luck to have found the world's strongest _inverted _Rain for this iteration of the Arcobaleno. Though to be fair, with the insanity of the rest of the set, she was a perfect fit. Such was his life right now.

"The wielders of 'The Spark'. Call themselves 'Magicals'. One of their tricks. A way to cheat death."

"A futile endeavour, death is the only certainty of life after all. Skull, perhaps if you let him breathe this interrogation will be more efficient. He can barely speak right now."

Had he mentioned how much he liked this Storm? Even if he had, it would always bear repeating: Kawahira _really _liked this Storm. Fon could stay. He would just have to arrange _accidents _for the others. The Mafia was a dangerous place, these things did happen…

It was with clear reluctance that the leather clad fingers finally relaxed their grip, though they did not leave their place on his neck. Even without the violet eyes attempting to burn through his head, Kawahira could read the message loud and clear.

_Do what we want or I _will _kill you._

Damned humans were getting cocky.

"I said it was their trick to cheat death, I didn't say it _worked._ By splitting their soul and storing it in a separate vessel they are able to survive even if their main body is destroyed. As long as the soul shard remains they can, theoretically, be revived from it."

There was silence in the room as the humans processed that little bit of vile magic. In this, he really couldn't blame them. As beings that were so finely in tune with their souls, who used them as an essential part of their daily lives, the very idea of damaging them to the extent needed to _tear a piece apart_ was abhorrent. After a second, the Sun's Flame spiked again, racing through the baby Sky in an attempt to reassure himself. Unsurprisingly, those eyes were still a lurid yellow as they fixated on him.

"_Who?"_

If only he knew. The truth was, he had barely even noticed the shard when he had linked his Flames to the boy's over eager Sky in preparation for the ritual, by then it had been too late to stop. He had had to hope that it would be small enough not to cause too much of a problem as they proceeded. As was happening too often as of late, the fates had laughed in the face of that hope.

"Impossible to tell, there wasn't enough of the soul in the thing for any form of identification to be made."

And hadn't that been a shock? The act of creating a Horcrux meant splitting your soul _in half _to seal one part of it in an object. This fragment had been so small that it had to have been one in the long line of many… that would really need to be looked into later.

"And you did nothing about it. Why? Why not even inform us that it was there before starting?"

"I had assumed that, as it was so small, it wouldn't be a problem and would simply die the second the boy's 'magic' was sealed, cutting it off from its power source."

"You were wrong."

Oh really? He hadn't noticed.

Beneath his skin Kawahira could feel his Flames chomping at the bit, desperate to sink their teeth into the Mist that was currently wrapping itself protectively around the baby Sky in front of them. If it hadn't been for a tiny tendril of amber that dodged through the indigo haze to coil against his bruised throat in concern, he might have done something that would be a pain to clean up later. As it was, he only flashed a smug smirk at the incensed Esper, too fast for the other Elements to have noticed.

"Obviously, but now that the problem is out of the way, we can finish the ritual. Place him on the floor and step away."

No one moved. Instead they all seemed to shift even closer to the baby Sky. Closing ranks in the face of a threat, how cute. If only he wasn't trying to _help _the fluffy little Sky they were so determined to keep him away from.

"Now please. The seal was only partially applied, if it is not finished then there is no telling what will happen."

This time he finally got a reaction, not one he wanted but still…

Instead of doing the smart thing and allowing the Earthling to finish his damned job, the other Mist stepped closer to the Sun and practically doused the Sky in their Flames. That irritating brat.

"The sparking energy is still there, but it is no longer clashing with his Flames."

"His body temperature is finally settling out too. No more fluctuations."

It took every year of experience he had in his impressive arsenal to not storm over there and rib the child out of the Hitman's arms at that comment. Couldn't they see how dangerous it was to leave the boy in such a state? 'The Spark' was a sentient energy force, if they left it only partially subdued it would pick away at the seal until it could no longer be contained. Couldn't they see how much damage that would do to the fragile little Sky? It would _destroy _him.

"If you do not complete the seal then we will have no idea what the consequences will be. You could very well _kill _him if you decide to leave this only half done."

That last comment had them shifting uneasily, the Cloud even backing up a little as he flashed a conflicted look a the child. In a subconscious action, they all, one by one, turned their gazes to the Sun sequestered in the midst of their loose circle. It was in their nature for Flame users to defer to those in the Harmony with the strongest Flame if the Sky was incapacitated, a remnant of the pack dynamic that had originally settled into Harmonies as society became more 'civilized', they probably weren't even aware that they were doing it.

For the moment, the Sun did nothing, eyes fixed on the sleeping face of the boy in his arms. Kawahira had to admit, the child really was beginning to look better, and the reaching strands of his Flames were growing harder to ignore with each passing second. Obviously the child had been spending the majority of his Flame fighting off the Horcrux and now that it was free… he could already feel the fledgling bonds around him solidifying into a permanent Harmony. It was almost terrifying to watch actually.

Finally, the Hitman sighed, breaking the Earthling out of the semi-hypnotised state he had fallen into. That Sky was _dangerous._

"We don't know the consequences of completing the seal either. You yourself said it was purely hypothetical. He is already showing signs of improvement, we shouldn't risk it by putting more stress on his body if it isn't necessary."

It sure as hell _was _necessary, but he could see from the determined glint in their eyes that there would be no persuading the stubborn humans in that moment. He couldn't blame them entirely for this, he did know the impact of a full Harmony bond on the psyche after all, and the Sky was currently resonating hard with his elements. They were going to be even more protective than normal for the next few days at least. Which was going to be a problem.

Still, he could probably be able to keep a discreet watch over them all for a while, if the seal showed signs of deterioration then it shouldn't be _too _hard to complete it without their knowledge. If nothing else, once the boy fully bonded with the pacifier, the curse of the Sky Arcobaleno would ensure that he didn't live long enough for that to become an issue…

He was not going to think about that right now. Or ever, hopefully.

"Fine. Just let me look at it now and I'll leave. No funny business, you have my word. I just need to check that it isn't going to break down."

They all bristled at that, and for a second he thought that they weren't going to let him close, but eventually the Rain, the male one, grabbed hold of his arm and all but pulled him over to the boy. The grip wasn't the most comfortable of experiences, but he could ignore it for now.

Slipping his own Flames into the boy was easier than he had expected it to be, though that was probably due to the Sky Flames that responded to his touch like a pack of puppies promised a treat. What was harder was ignoring the many playful advances they made as he sent a burst of power through the boy's soul. From what the initial scan was showing, the seal was firmly in place at the very least, but he couldn't risk doing a deeper inspection, not now.

Slowly and carefully, he began to extract his Flames from the clinging grasp of the Sky, having to pull off a mini contortionist act to avoid some of the more adventurous feelers. The feeling of the other Mist clashing discordantly with his own in the Flames, made the job slightly easier, but even then his instincts rebelled at every move he made. At his back, Viper was all but breathing down his neck, even if the Esper was physically floating off to the other side of the Storm, their Mist Flames were a heavy presence in the room.

In the end, it took a monumental force of will to pull his own unruly Flames back into his core without either challenging the other Mist or allowing a sliver of the Sky to follow them home. It was actually all he could do to keep the many orange tendrils away as he attempted to take a step back from it all. Of course, as is the fate of all Kawahira's endeavours, it was at the very second of victory that fate decided to throw in a wrench.

"_What the hell are you imbeciles doing_?"

The Lightning's voice was as sharp and ruthless as the element they were named after as they cut through the tense atmosphere of the room. As one they turned to face the door where the Scientist was so enraged that he was physically _sparking _where he stood.

And in that moment, surrounded by a hostile Harmony that would love nothing more than to rip him to shreds, Kawahira's mental barriers faltered. It was only for a fraction of a second, but it was still long enough for those amber Flames to lunge forward and seize a tight hold of his core, flooding his whole _being _with a wave of Harmony so strong that it sent the Earthling to his knees.

He heard a loud thud ahead of him as the Lightning all but collapsed and he had half a second to be spitefully glad that he was not the only one experiencing this when a deceptively delicate hand fell onto his shoulder with a crushing grip. Behind him, he could feel the Mist Flames flare into the visual realm and he shuddered at the echo of resonation between the two.

It was official. Kawahira hated his life.


	12. Flash Bang

**A/N: Here's the update, a little later than intended but meh. Btw, I wrote this instead of sleeping, so I hope it makes sense. Hope you all enjoy!**

* * *

It was amazing just how quickly things could change. Go back only a month and the only things Fon really cared about was hiding Ying Yue and just keeping his head above the tempestuous waters of the Triad's politics. Now… now he was standing between a raging Harmony and the being that they so desperately wanted to tear apart. Needless to say, this is not what he had envisioned when he had accepted the job offer. At this point, if it wasn't for the bubbling warmth of Harmony coiling deep in his chest, be probably would have been tempted to wash his hands of all of them.

Alas, that was not to be.

"Peace, Viper. What's done is done, you cannot change it now."

Not without breaking the already damaged Sky that had managed to claim them all at any rate. He didn't bother to say this though, there was no need or, at least, there shouldn't have been. Unfortunately, it was an often overlooked fact amongst Flame users that Mists were little more than… creative Clouds, with all the possessive instincts that such a thing implied.

"Let go and we'll see about that."

May the gods grant him patience to deal with such reckless fools!

"Think. Breaking a Harmony bond now will only hurt our Sky! You _can't _do anything to him."

Now if only one of the others would be kind enough to help him in this, but it seemed like Reborn was too occupied in keeping Verde away from them while the others seemed disinclined to intervene. Not that he blamed them, the sheer weight of the Mist Flames pressing down on him, from both sides mind, were enough that he was having to lock his knees in place to avoid collapsing. After that final comment however, the Flames drew back for just a second, time enough for him to bring his Storm to bear, a swirling mass of crimson light that easily cut through the growing darkness of the room.

"Now, I think we all need to take a deep breath and calm down, yes?"

One small smile was enough to kick the Rains into action, finally, their Flames only just managing to drown out the scent of aggression that filled the air with their resonating serenity. In that moment it occurred to him that the reason for the inclusion of twin Rains in this set was purely due to the extra strength needed to subdue such stubborn individuals. They _needed _two Rains.

He was not even going to consider the possible reason for having two Mists.

Almost fully tranquilized, it was much easier to pull the hooded Mist into his arms and begin to manoeuvre them out of the room. He was not going to rely on the forced tranquillity for any longer than he had to, so it was for the best that he had the two out of sight of each other when they finally gathered the strength of will needed to get going again. Not to say that the task was e_asy _just _easier._

It was a good job that Storm Flames were the world's strongest form of disinfectant, who knows what sort of bacteria lived in the human mouth.

"Enough!"

Halfway out of the door, Fon's body froze up on him and, as one, all eyes turned to where the furious Sun was pinning Verde to the ground in a relaxed but firm hold. If it wasn't for the Citrine light flickering in his eyes, the Hitman would have been the very image of relaxed grace, but the aura of sheer violence radiating off of his slim form was enough to set their instincts on edge. This was not going to end well.

"It was a group decision and you were out voted. It had to be done and it was. Deal with it."

The light tone and wicked smile somehow managed to contain enough of an edge that Fon could almost feel a blade pressing against his neck even when the warning wasn't aimed at him. How the Scientist managed to keep struggling when faced with that threat so close to his ear was astonishing, but thinking back to just how little sleep the man had been managing lately… perhaps not.

"It obviously went so well too. I heard the scream and this room reeks of blood."

Ah yes, he could believe that, given the hyper focus that this particular Lightning seemed prone too. The smell was strong enough that the Martial Artist hated to think what it would be like to such heightened senses. Still, it seemed like Reborn had the situation here well in hand, even if he was going to have to keep the others from attacking Verde and Checkerface both, or maybe just Verde, so he was going to go back to getting Viper out of the villa. Now.

With each step further away from the Rains, it became harder to keep his grip solid as the Mist was beginning to emulate a captured eel, but he managed. When the hooded figure was finally able to break out of his hold, they were deep enough that the wave of Mist Flames unleashed sent Fon right at a cluster of trees. Thankfully, he had felt the explosion building so he managed to flip over onto one of the branches where he proceeded to stare Viper down with all the caution required for such a dangerous predator.

"You're not going to let me back into the house, are you?"

"Not at the moment."

"And if I decide to make you?"

The grin that overtook Fon's face was far more feral than any would expect from the normally serene man. As it was, even he was not immune to the constant stress and frustration of the last few days, no matter how calm he acted. His control could only stretch so far.

"Of course, you are more than welcome to try."

* * *

He didn't know how long he had drifted in the dark haze that usually passed for rest with him, the black abyss of exhaustion that had him sleeping like the dead. For once, his internal clock had been fully shutdown, leaving him unable to do anything other than just float in the foreign warmth that had invaded every part of his body. It was a new sensation and he wasn't sure if he liked it…

In the back of his mind, the section that regulated his Flames and therefore seemed incapable of turning off, he knew that this was the Sky's fault. His whole body had been left unbalanced by the influx of Flames that the child had forced into him while leading him to his room and it had rendered everything… dull. It made a change from the usual sharpness that cut deep into his awareness at any rate. For once in Verde's life, everything was _quiet._

He should have known that such a thing would never last.

It had started so lightly that he hadn't even noticed anything had changed. The Harmony that had taken root despite his protests began to twitch and twist in growing irritation. It was a difficult feeling to classify, not uncomfortable, yet somehow unpleasant, and it was causing his Flames to spark in agitation. The restless feeling then began to spread through his system like a virus, so it was that he was almost fully conscious when he heard it, an almost inhuman scream.

All at once, his Flames shot forward, flooding him with such a tidal wave of energy that he wouldn't have been able to stay still if he had wanted to. As it was, his body was half way down the corridor, all but sprinting towards the stairs, before his mind had a chance to catch up.

It had been a trap.

The other's had sent the boy to him on purpose, wanting him to lead Verde somewhere where he could be incapacitated long enough for them to attempt whatever moronic scheme their little minds had concocted, and he was going to greatly enjoy having some live specimens for a change. Oh, he would leave the Sky alone, the boy was too young and innocent to truly be blames for this, if Verde's hypothesis was correct, then the boy had been acting almost purely on instinct around them, so if the others had somehow got it into his head that following their plans would _help _the Scientist, well… the other's were free game however.

Peripherally, he was aware that jumping down the staircase several steps at a time was not the safest way to make his decent, but with his Flames hissing in the back of his mind, he couldn't actually make himself slow down. Honestly, two decades of controlling the disruptive things and it had all been worthless in the face of a five year old child.

He hadn't even hit the ground floor when he smelt it.

Blood.

And decay.

Just like it always did, Verde's brain latched onto this new fact and ran with it, a hundred different scenarios flashing behind his eyes before he had even reached the wooden door that was separating him from the chaos he was sure was unfolding. All of which meant that, when he finally swung said door open, his temper had reached its boiling point.

The strange tableau that greeted him was enough to bring the Scientist up short for a little while. He had expected the presence of the other Mist, had known that the others had probably left him _indisposed_ in order to place the seal on the boy. As such, he had half expected the number of people behind the door. What he _hadn't _expected however, was for the masked man to be standing so close to the Sky, nor for the overwhelming wave of protective fury that reared its head.

The Sky had screamed and the Mist was standing _far _too close. An idiot could have solved that puzzle, and Verde was no idiot.

He said something, he wasn't sure what. It had been more of an instinctive reaction to his Flames' continued mantra of _too close _and _move _than any conscious choice. He didn't even get a chance to register what they had sounded like before he was _burning._

Just like the time he had first activated his Flames, protecting himself from the explosion that was nowhere near as controlled as his father had claimed… the sheer heat of the process was just as fear inducing as it was exhilarating. In contrast to his awakening however, the world didn't suddenly seem to slow down, all of his senses heightening to a painful degree. Instead, it was as though he had been thoroughly wrapped in an old blanket, flooding him with a sense of safety. Of _home. _

So this is what a full Harmony bond felt like. The tiny, paper thin connection he had experienced before was _nothing _compared to this.

When the surge finally began to die back, he realised that he was on the floor. He couldn't remember how that had happened, but it probably made sense, after losing touch with reality for as long as it felt like he had, it could only be expected. Even now the Sky Flames were continuing to wash against him, filling his head with the sensation of cotton wool and making everything less clear. That was, until a wordless snarl split the room and everything came rushing back.

The seal.

The blood.

The scream.

Right.

It was easier now, to push past the numbing lull of the bond and regain the fury that had fuelled his mad dash into the room and in a manner of seconds his eyes were fixed back on the Sun who was looking far more dishevelled than usual even as he cradled their Sky close.

Hands: Pale and Shaking, holding tight to the (thankfully) sleeping child. A faint red tint was smeared across his fingers indicating that there _had _been a wound, but that it had now been healed.

Knees: Despite the dark fabric of the Hitman's suit, his knees were still stained to a slightly darker shade. Add that to the way that the well tailored trousers were hanging stiffly against the man's legs and it was clear that he had been kneeling in blood. The wound had been serious enough for the normally finicky Sun to disregard the consequences to his beloved clothing.

Hair: Although normally a well styled mess, Reborn's hair had taken on a much more haphazard appearance, like the man had been running his hand through it, a theory supported by the faint streak of reddened skin on his temple.

Conclusion: Verde had some imbeciles to beat common sense into. He had _told _them that something bad would happen if they ran into this sealing business half-cocked and now look what had happened.

He was surrounded by idiots. Soon to be dead idiots.

Running his Flames beneath his skin to the point he became a living taser, he threw himself at the infuriating man who had obviously been the one behind this conniving plan. In hindsight, barrelling directly at the man known to be the best in the _Mafia _at killing people probably wasn't the best idea he had ever had, but in Verde's defence, a newly formed Guardian bond was well documented in the way that it wreaked absolute havoc on the instincts of Elements. He could not be expected to be at his best right then.

Being pinned to the floor however, a floor that still stank of blood, was not enjoyable no matter what mental state he was in.

The following exchange did absolutely nothing for his temper other than ensuring that the Sun had a special place as a _hated _figure in his heart. The other man had been nothing more than well hidden muscles, bony knees and sly words that dripped honeyed poison in his ears, all the time he had been attempting to _discipline _the Neanderthals for doing something that he had explicitly told them not to. The group had sworn to him that they would allow him to complete his research first, though more fool him for believing the words of criminals he supposed.

If he had taken any form of vindictive pleasure in shocking the Sun over and over, just to hear the pained hiss of air through his teeth, well, he wasn't exactly hiding it.

In the end, it had taken the Cloud dumping the baby Sky (so that's where the boy had gone, he had wondered) into his arms after the Rains had slumped to the floor due to Flame depletion, for him to calm himself to the point that he wasn't actively attempting to murder everyone in the room. For the present.

With the boy in his arms, he was finally able to feed his Flames through his system, isolating and scanning the seal and its consequences. Admittedly, this chance to see for himself that the child's condition was not deteriorating and was, in fact, actually improving, that finally managed to take the edge of his fury. That didn't stop him from flipping a coin into his free hand when the other Mist opened his mouth however.

"It would seem that, despite the unexpected complications, my job here is done. I will leave you the information for your first job in a week."

That said, the man vanished in a swirl of Flames that did nothing to hide the fact that he was simply running away. Nor could they truly shield their wielder from the tongue of violet Flames shot right at his head. Verde was sure that there would be a vivid burn blooming there before long. Such a pity that he wouldn't be able to see it. At least his absence allowed the hostility in the room to drop to a more manageable level.

It was only then that the Scientist registered the absence of the first Mist and the Storm, though from the hurricane of Flames he could feel building outside, it was easy enough to figure out where they had gone. With all those loose ends tied up, he pushed himself to his feet and began to head towards the door, he had one more thing to check before he could truly claim any peace of mind so it would be best to get it done as soon as possible. That had been the intention anyway.

The warm hand that fell on his shoulder was more an irritation than a surprise, but he allowed it to stop him anyway. Who knew what would happen if he decided to ignore the petulant children that were his bond-mates.

"And where do you think you're going?"

"To make sure that your stupidity isn't going to send us all into discord. As much as the phenomenon fascinates me, I have no intention of experiencing it on a personal level."

Reborn was too well trained, too experienced, to give himself away through anything as minor as a twitch, but that didn't stop his Flames from snapping slightly. Deep in his core, Verde's Lightning purred. It was nice to know that he had managed to find a weak spot.

"There's nothing wrong with our Sky, Checkerface confirmed that the Seal was working perfectly."

So that's what had been happening when he came in, it did explain why the others had allowed him so close to their weakened Sky if nothing else. Still…

"You'll forgive me if I don't trust your judgement on this. The mess from the last call you made is still staining the floorboards after all."

At his words, all the others turned vaguely horrified stares to the drying patch of blood on the floor and at the sight, the Hitman's hand went slack. Using his distraction, the Scientist quickly ducked away, spiriting the boy in his arms down to the labs before any of the others could think to interfere.

It took longer than he had liked to hook the lightly stirring child up to all the proto-type machines he had been tweaking just for this task. It would have been so much easier if he had just been able to sense the other form of energy from the start, but unfortunately that was not to be. Thankfully, a good, working defence system had been the first thing he had thought to install in this place, so he had plenty of time before the neurotic Guardians came calling. And that wasn't even counting how long it would take them to break out of their nightmare trances in the first place. That served them right really, they had made their bed so he was going to let them lay in it for as long as he was able.

One hour later and he was finally able to take the first of the readings he had wanted. There was the slight upset of the machines refusing the recognise the boy's presence at first, but it had been simple enough to work around once he had worked out that it was this elusive second energy source that was hiding the boy from his scans.

After several minor adjustments, he finally had the boy showing up on his screens and had set about acquiring the first scan, only for a every electrical device within ten meters of the table where the boy lay, to whine and shriek before dying out completely. Even the lights above their heads had gone dark.

How curious.

Thankfully, the scan had managed to complete itself before the scanner's untimely demise, and he was able to check it on a laptop situated at the far end of the lab and thereby out of the blast zone. From the looks of the results, the seal had been applied, yes, but not completely. Instead of fully suppressing the second form of energy, that really was reading a lot like Lightning Flames, it had simply forced it down. To a point. The mini explosion that had destroyed his lab had been a little like a pressure valve opening for a second before snapping shut again, enough to drain a little of the tension, but not completely.

This second energy looked like it was self replicating meaning that this pressure was just going to continue to build.

He wondered what would happen when it reached its breaking point?

In the back of his mind, he felt a slight twinge of guilt as he transferred a copy of the scan to his secure server before erasing it completely from the laptop. His newly awoken instincts wailed at his thoughts, but this far from the Sky, after having a long enough time to come round from his Flame drunk state, they were easy to ignore once again.

If he wanted to see how this would progress, and he did, he couldn't let the others know about this.


	13. One Step Forwards, Two Steps Back

**A/N: Here it is. Anther chapter and the start of the next story arc I guess. It's going in a bit of a weird direction, one that even I wasn't expecting, so let me know what you think of it.**

**Hope you enjoy.**

**Side note, there is a side story that I'm going to be posting before too long that is an AU of this AU where Kawahira didn't choose Harry. It's multichapter and a little dark, but keep an eye out for 'Fading Light of Day' that's coming soon.**

* * *

Sparring against the Storm had not been their best idea to date, but it was certainly effective in bleeding off some of the possessive fury that was threatening to drown them even now. With the taste of copper on their teeth and the burn of deep tissue bruising flaring around their body it was still all they could do not to hunt down that _Schwein _that had intruded on _their _territory. It didn't help that every time they entered a room with the baby Sky they could feel the fait echo of the other Mist tainting their Harmony.

In the end, they had left.

With the full Harmony bond buzzing in the back of their head, the decision had been… difficult, but thankfully, a timely call had been enough to pull them back to France.

Despite their distraction when they had worked out the issue of the conflicting energy sources, Viper was still a professional, emotional upheaval would not stop them from completing a job they had already set their mind to. As such, they had left a few members of their spy network looking into the disappearance of Peverell Famiglia members before they had rushed back to the Villa and the utter mess that everything had turned out to be. The call had been one of those contacts checking in.

The exchange of information had been quick, impersonal and occurred in a corner of a random bar under a heavy shroud of Mist Flames, just like always. They had received the surprisingly thick package and handed over the packet of bills (not too much, but enough to keep the informant _loyal_) just like in every other transaction. It was once the man had left and they had finally pulled the documents out onto the wooden table in front of them that the normalcy had stopped.

Even now, holding everything in black and white in their hands, the text neatly double spaced and formatted for reading ease, it was difficult to believe. Almost like a love story from one of those sickening novellas their Mutter used to hide underneath her bed.

Aline Peverell. The youngest child of the Peverell Quatro.

Although generally accepted to have been killed in an ambush that had seen the death of her older brother Tumas, her body had never actually been recovered. Not that anyone had looked too hard since the death of the heir had thrown the Famiglia into chaos as the other two sons, being fraternal twins, had fought over who would be the next head. In all of the confusion, it had just been easier to list her as dead and just move on.

Looking back at it now, it was simple enough to work out what had happened.

Family archives had shown that a civilian boy, a young Nobleman from England named Ernest Potter, had petitioned for Aline's hand, only to be ruthless rejected by her father. A strange decision since the Potters were, in fact, a branch family of the Peverell, descended from the youngest of the three founding brothers, who had remained on the other side of the law. Natural allies one might say. Instead, he had attempted to all but sell Aline to the then head of the Ricci Famiglia, a man twice her age who was looking for both a wife and a Guardian. Needless to say, the girl had disagreed.

Either way, after the rejection someone, and at this point they were putting money on Aline herself (one was not raised by the head of a Mafia Famiglia without gaining some darker traits), had arranged the ambush in order to cover up her elopement to England. If it had been organised by a Mist as powerful as Aline was rumoured to have been, it certainly would have explained how the attackers had so easily cut through Tumas' Guardians to reach the pair, and why no trace of said attackers had been found afterwards. If there had even been any attackers at all. Viper of all people knew just how much damage a Mist could cause when properly motivated.

From there, it was simple enough to trace the bloodline down through a family tree that showed the fall of the once noble family as more and more of their members died as a result of their duty to 'King and country'. Eventually, there were only three members left, James Charlus Potter and Lily Jessica Potter (nee. Evans) with their young son Harry. The date on the birth certificate would certainly match to the age that their Sun had determined for the boy and after getting their hands on a picture of the happy couple, there was no denying the resemblance.

Harry James Potter

5 years old.

Orphaned at 15 months and left in the care of his maternal Aunt and her husband at number 4 Privet Drive, Surrey. The people who had _abused _their Sky.

So much for using this trip to cool their head. Still, if they acted on any of this information now, the others would be less than pleased and would raise make enough noise to cause one hell of a headache. Not to mention the damages…

Still, this proved that the child did actually have links to the Mafia, and opened up some interesting possibilities for the future. Although they had never intended to bind themselves to any particular Famiglia (it was far easier to decide their own fate when acting as a independent contractor) it might be beneficial if they were to resurrect the Peverell, especially with the impact such a strong reputation would have on the current power balance of the world… they would have to weigh up the potential risks and rewards later, when they were calmer.

As it was, the simple, entirely normal, address on the page was mocking them to the point that they were seriously debating ordering another drink… perhaps it wouldn't hurt to do a little bit of digging so that when the time came… Yes, it wouldn't hurt at all.

* * *

He was living in a mad house, there were no two ways about it. If it hadn't been for the poor kid and the future that the others would surely provide for him, Skull would have run for the hills already. As it was, he wasn't completely harmless, and the kid hadn't done anything to deserve the lunatics who were currently raising him, so he couldn't bring himself to leave.

Though sometimes it wasn't half tempting.

"You know, kid's not dying anymore, you don't need to sleep in his bed. It's actually kinda creepy."

That earned him a death glare, and he was probably going to pay for it later, but for the moment the Hitman was stuck on the bed, 5 year old sprawled across his chest and out of reach of his gun. The most he could do was attempt to stare Skull to death. Not to say it wasn't working, and _holy shit _Skull could feel his blood beginning to boil beneath his skin, but for now the man was harmless. Relatively speaking.

"I mean, it's really cute and all that, but you're what? 30? Shouldn't you be able to sleep alone by now."

Okay, so maybe Skull wasn't in any sort of position to be calling anyone else crazy but he had spent the last month being shot at, thrown through windows and forcefully involved in some really bad juju, he needed some way to vent damnit, and right now, the Hitman was the only one who didn't seem like they were going to bite his head off for even looking in their direction.

"What do you want brat?"

Amazing how much venom could be injected into the words while the voice itself remained quiet. Maybe he could ask Reborn to teach him that later? It wasn't likely that the older man would agree, but nothing ventured, nothing gained right? Speaking of…

"How do you get your hair like that? It can't be natural!"

Ah, and he thought the death glare couldn't get any worse. Seems he was wrong.

"Kid, you're acting even more ridiculous than normal. Either say what's bothering you or leave, he's been through enough these last few days that I don't want you waking him up."

Which, yeah, he could see that. The bags underneath the baby's eyes were large enough to move house with and normally Skull would be all for letting him nap the day away. Normally he would have been fine just leaving the kid to sleep, knowing the Hitman wouldn't let anything happen to the kid it's just that now…

"Everything feels off!"

The words burst out without him even meaning to say them, but now that he had, he couldn't deny how true they were and, like the first crack in the dam, they soon led to everything else spilling out so fast that the words almost slurred together at points.

"I want to leave, but I don't. This house is making me want to scream but stepping out the door feels impossible. My skin's itching and I want to _do _something but I have no idea what. I'm twitchy to the point that every sound makes me want to _stab _whatever caused it just to make it stop and _I don't know what's happening but I can't stay still_!"

The pain in his scalp from his hands fisting in his hair brings him back to reality, his words trailing off into breathless pants as his face heats up. He hadn't intended to say, well, _any_ of that, and the amused look the older man was giving him really wasn't helping. When the guy actually started laughing, he had to stop himself from following through with his threat and charging the guy with a bread knife or something.

"So you are a Cloud after all, we were beginning to wonder."

"What?"

What on earth did that have to do with all this? Fon had explained it all to him at some point, obviously picking up on just how out of his depth Skull had been feeling, but that didn't explain why the power of Propagation, or whatever the hell his purple fire was supposed to do, had to do with anything.

Obviously taking note of Skull's blank look, the Hitman sighed, manoeuvring the sleeping body on top of him so that he would be able to sit up on the bed somewhat.

"Do you know why Cloud Guardians are the hardest to attain in any Mafia Family, lackey? It's because of their instincts. They're walking paradoxes in the way that their Flames despise the shackles of a bond just as much as they crave the Harmony like any other Element. What you're feeling right now is the bond telling you that you need to stay close to your Sky while your instincts are telling you that you need to escape. It should fade before too long, just bear with it for now and you'll be fine before you know it."

That was strangely nice of the older man, had he hit his head at some point? Actually…

"What you said about instincts playing up… that's happening with you isn't it? That's why you're being so nice right now."

From the grimace he just about managed to catch before it was quickly replaced with a mask of false calm, it looked like he had hit the nail on the head, and the other man wasn't best impressed at being caught out.

"We all are. A new Harmony bond does that to all involved, especially if it was as traumatic a bonding as ours was. Why do you think the 'Eye of the Storm' is currently out destroying half the forest?"

"And why you're acting like a teddy bear in between being the biggest mother hen on the planet? Gah, since where did you get that?"

The Sun only smirked at him as Skull stared at the trench knife in horror. The dim room lit up violet for a second before it faded away again and the Stuntman finally managed to reign in the urge to rip the other man's throat out with his _teeth._

"Don't – Don't do that right now. I have no idea what I'll do in response."

If he didn't know any better, he would have thought that the man's smile was challenging for the split second that it existed. In the end, Reborn lowered his outstretched arm and Skull's muscles finally relaxed. Normally he might have run off at such a threat, but right now it seemed like his aggressive instincts were suppressing his self preservation ones… he really hoped that would stop soon or he was going to end up being killed by one of the psychos he now lived with.

"So how do you deal with it?"

"Just let your instincts take control for now lackey, they'll settle when they're good and ready. Now leave, I'm going to get some sleep while I still can and you wouldn't want to be the 'creepy' one watching people sleep, right?"

Turning on his heels, Skull was out the door before he realised exactly what the other man had said. Yes, just let his instincts take control when even _they _had no idea what they wanted. How very helpful. In the end, he gave in to the urge to just move and began exploring the house. He hadn't really had the time the last few weeks, and looking around would appease his need to be useful if he pretended to be searching for threats… he hoped.

The living area itself had been pretty well tramped through by their group so he turned his attention to the basement levels. So far, they had only been down to the first level where Verde had set up shop but from the looks of things there was at least two more levels.

The first, not all that surprisingly now that he thought about it, looked to be some form of training area. The floor was springy enough that it wouldn't hurt too much to fall on it and he could just about make out what seemed to be a shooting range at the other end of the hall, but he didn't really care enough to go an investigate. Instead, he trailed down one more level.

Mid way down the staircase, he felt a chill run down his spine. He wasn't yet far enough down to be able to see anything, but he couldn't shake the feeling that he _really _didn't want to keep going. For some reason, the nagging suspicion that he had left the oven on started tugging at his attention. He hadn't touched the oven in days, there was no need when all he had made was stew and a strange pasta dish that Reborn had requested, but it wouldn't hurt to _check…_

Actually, no. Miss Lal and Colonnello were in the kitchen the last time he had passed it and the noises they were making… he wasn't going back there. Even if the oven were on, they would notice before anything went too wrong. Even if they didn't, especially if they didn't, he had no desire to interrupt them.

Shaking off the feeling, he forced himself to keep going, flaring his Flames around him in an attempt to shake off the cold air. Each step further down seemed to take more and more effort but, finally, he reached the bottom and the weight pressing down on him just… vanished. Weird.

The staircase ended in front of a heavy wooden door, an old one that looked like it had been cut right out of a castle wall. There was barely enough space on the landing for him to stand as he looked around but the second he moved back onto the step the weight returned. Something wasn't right here.

The door handle was one of the iron hoops and he could feel the chill even through his gloves. It didn't want to move at first, but a bit of brute force was enough to get it to grate around until it clicked into place. A little more strength and the door screeched open, sending Skull tripping forward into darkness.

The violet tint of his Flames gave the room an eerie glow that had the hairs on the back of his neck standing up, but he shrugged it off. The room itself was probably more of a chamber, roughly hewn from the bedrock that formed the foundation of the villa above, though something about it seemed far older. Strangely enough, for all the weird vibes it was giving off, there was nothing actually in there that would cause it.

10 steps took him to the centre of the room and he powered up his Flames even higher so that he managed to fill the whole space. Still nothing.

Skull didn't know how long he stood there acting as a human torch, but eventually his stamina began to flag and he was forced to call it quits. Even then he couldn't shake the feeling that s_omething _would happen if he just put a _little_ more energy in…

Whatever it was, being able to expend so much energy was enough to cool his instincts for now but he would probably have to come back later. For now, he was really tempted to go back up and see if Reborn would be willing to share his teddy bear…

The second he stepped out of the room, the feeling of a 10 tonne weight falling on his shoulders sent him sprawling to the steps. It was only when he cheek came into contact with the cool stone of the stairs that he became aware of just how overheated his had become. Funny, he hadn't even noticed when the chill of the chamber had stopped bothering him.

When had he started shivering?

Everything about this situation screamed of what Lal had described as Flame exhaustion but he hadn't used that much… had he?

Still, taking a nap was beginning to look like a great idea.

It was there, on the edge of unconsciousness where his vision was about to fade that he felt it, a soothing hand beginning to run through his hair. Against his heated face, the chill of the hand was heavenly.

"Hmm, it's strange to finally see one of them down here. When was the last time they found us."

"Quiet, he's not quite out yet."

"What's life without a little risk? Live a little!"

"Incorporeal or not, I will find a way to _eviscerate_ you."

How… strange.


	14. Brace

**A/N: Hey guys, little later than planned, but timing was a little hard this week. Anyway, this is a bit of a filler, and I am really sorry about that, but things will kick off in tomorrows chapter I promise. **

**I hope you enjoy the perspective of a slightly more awake Harry and have fun with the new chapter!**

**Btw: In case any of you are interested, the first chapter of 'Fading Light of Day', the mirror story for this fic, went up yesterday. The updates will be a little slow when compared to this one as I want to avoid spoilers, but it's still there.**

**Edit: Shout out to Shyee who told me about the page break thing. I didn't realise that FF was deleting my formatting, but hopefully that's fixed now.**

* * *

From his quiet place, Freak could clearly feel the change in his lights. While they had always playful and affectionate, ever happy to wrap around him, there had also been something _missing. _There was something that he couldn't quite identify but which pulled him back every time he tried to reach for what his light really wanted.

It wasn't there now.

He wasn't sure how it happened, or even what _it _was. One minute he had been sleeping, curled up against the warm yellow light that always kept the nightmares at bay. The next, he was _burning._

It started as a gentle, bubbling throughout his body, the excited energy pulling him back from the haze of sleep with the way it tickled everywhere it touched. Like someone had positioned a shower head above his chest and let it run, the warmth began to slip through his veins out through the rest of his body. It was really relaxing, until the warmth reached his head and it ignited into a raging inferno.

It hurt _so much!_

There was something right above his eye that _hated _the warmth to the point that it lashed out, driving a spike through his head in the process. After that, it felt like the time Uncle Vernon had held his hand to the stove after he had burned the bacon, only this time it was _everywhere._

Where were his lights?

For the past few weeks the lights had been there at all times, never once leaving him on his own. They were always there to chase off his nightmares, to heal his bruises and never letting anything hurt him. So where were they now? He _needed _them!

Flailing out wildly into the darkness, he searched for even the smallest spark of his protectors. For a flicker of the bright yellow that always held him close, or the soothing blue that always made everything feel like it would all be okay. For the past few weeks he had learned how to depend on them and now they were gone? He was falling…

Then, shifting wisps of mist were there, wrapping around him and lighting up the darkness. He would have sobbed in relief if only he still had control of his body.

They hadn't abandoned him!

Along with the dark blue light, a deep red one flared to life, surrounding and destroying the thing in his head, slowly burning away the spike and soothing the pain until the yellow one flooded back in and erased it completely.

Without the pain pulling insistently at his attention, Freak realised that, this time, when he reached out for those pretty lights and all the comfort that they brought with them, the barrier from before was gone. Excitement breaking through the blanket of tiredness that was now threatening to smother him, he immediately flung his arms out, suddenly desperate to pull his lights as close as he possibly could. He was left marvelling as the colours all started to mix and blend together in a way that they never had before.

For the longest time he was lost in the play of the colours and the soothing weight in his chest, but when the lighter shade of indigo began to pull away, he panicked. Reacting on instinct, Freaks grip tightened, latching onto the light and refusing to let go, clinging tight no matter how the light twisted and squirmed in its attempts to get away. Normally, given the feelings of desperation bleeding from the light, Freak would have just allowed it to leave. He had never been allowed nice things before so why should now be any different?

Behind the sudden rush of fear however, there was something else wrong with the light, and ancient, aching loneliness that had been forced deep down, but never really defeated. Freak knew what that was like, to hurt in your heart every day and have no way of getting help or fixing it. He wouldn't allow one of his lights to feel it too. After all, Santa had given him the answer to his prayers; it was only polite for him to do the same!

His struggle with the lonely light, the one that clung to him with just as much desperation as it used in its attempts to leave, lasted long enough that Freak was beginning to get tired, the blanket from before becoming more of a pressing weight as it wrapped around his thoughts, but he refused to give in. Eventually, he was rewarded when finally, _finally, _the light flickered for a second before it just stopped fighting, fading back into the mix of colours where it rightfully belonged.

Not a second later, the sparking green that had felt so tired earlier, and still did to a lesser extent, appeared between the others and, for a second, they formed a perfect rainbow in his mind. The sight of the mixing colours seemed to satisfy something deep within his chest and it was like a switch had been flipped in his head. That little empty spot in his heart that he had always been able to feel had suddenly been filled and, for the first time in his life, Freak was content.

Placing his trust in the lights that bobbed and curled around him, Freak allowed himself to drift back into sleep. There was no fear that they would leave now. No, they would always be with him, no matter what.

Everything was soft and warm, lulling Freak further and further back into the waiting arms of his dreams, but something felt off. He couldn't name it, but there was some niggling thought in the back of his mind that refused to quiet down and made further sleep impossible. In the space in his mind where the colours played, dancing comfortably around each other, the violet light began to flicker and dim in a way that sent a bolt of ice straight to his heart and, suddenly, sleep was the last thing on his mind.

He loved the purple light. It wasn't as warm as the yellow one, or as soothing as the two toned blue that always worked to keep him calm, but it was _happy. _Always ready to play and entertain even as it liked to bounce away whenever Freak tried to catch it. More than anything, the purple light was always bursting with energy, so to feel it so weak now…

Freak tried to sit up, to push his blankets away, anything really, but there were strong bands wrapped around him, making it impossible to do more than twist a little in place. Cracking an eye open proved his suspicions that he was cuddling with Mister Reborn again, and while Freak normally loved to sleep like this, basking in the safety that those strong arms promised, now they were just confining. He had to move!

The increase in his fidgeting must have woken the man up, because the next minute, black eyes were staring down at him in sleepy confusion. For a second, the arms tightened and Freak felt like screaming.

"What's wrong Tesoro? Did you have a bad dream again?"

The yellow light flared up at that, even if the man's expression didn't change, but Freak couldn't focus on that, he didn't have time to sooth the lights like he normally did.

"No. Let go!"

"Tesoro, mio Cielo, tell me what's wrong."

The yellow light was flickering now and the man had finally moved, shifting so that he was sitting on the bed with Freak on his lap, but he still refused to let go. Didn't he realise how important this was? There was something wrong with his purple light and he had to fix it!

"Skull."

"What about him?"

"Don't know. Something… Something's wrong. Purple light's weird."

The man's shock at that weakened his grip enough that Freak was _finally _able to slip his hold. He stumbled a little as his feet hit the soft rug, not used to walking after almost a month of either sleeping or being carried everywhere, but he was still able to slip out the door and into the hall before Mister Reborn was able to catch him again. In one part of his mind, he was just about able to hear the surprised noise behind him, but it didn't register. The larger part of his focus was already locked on one spot really far beneath them, and he wasn't going to allow anyone to stop him from getting there!

The yellow light followed him as he skidded down the hallway, it spiked suddenly when he nearly lost his balance and tumbled down the stairs, but he was able to catch himself on the rail at the last minute and it calmed down. It was still staying very close however, and he could feel the heat from Mister Reborn on his back, but the man didn't try to stop him, only following as he slowly made his way to where he needed to be.

Although Freak hadn't had any time to explore, leaving him with no clue as to the layout of the house, his feet seemed to know where they were going so he just let them lead him down yet another set of stairs. And another. With every step he took further down, the air got colder to the point that he was shivering. That was when he finally let his yellow man pick him up, snuggling deeper into the warmth that he always gave off, nose brushing against the bare skin of the others neck, as they went deeper into the house.

Halfway down the new staircase that even Mister Reborn hadn't been down before (his light seemed just as confused as Freak was) a feeling like cooking oil slithered over Freak's skin, soon followed by the feeling of being doused in cold water from the garden hose washed over him and Freak yelped in shock. Anything else he might have done however, was lost when he spotted the pool of violet hair on the step bellow them.

"Skull!"

Once more he tumbled out of his minder's arms and all but threw himself at his purple light. The normal twitchy and hyper young man was laying deathly still, his light little more than a soft glow unlike the bright beacon it normally resembled. One touch to his skin, and Freak was trembling again, it was just so _cold_. On the step above them, Mister Reborn muttered something harshly, before crouching down a pressing his finger into Skull's neck. After a few seconds, he leaned back again, moving the hand to ruffle Freak's hair instead.

"It's okay Tesoro, he's just tired. Skull over used his Flames, after some sleep he'll be just fine."

The touch and the statement were reassuring, but Freak couldn't stop himself from clinging to the young man's leather suit. There was a voice in his head telling him that he had to stay as close as possible to his purple light right now, and he wasn't about to disagree when every part of him said the same thing. Absently, he thought that he could feel a freezing gust of air brush past his cheek, but he brushed it off. There were more important things right now.

"Promise?"

He remembered something that he had seen his cousin do with his Aunt a long time ago and hesitantly held out his left hand, little finger extended towards the man. For his part, Mister Reborn just looked amused, but he linked their fingers together anyway.

"I promise little one. A bit of sleep and he'll be as right as rain."

Okay, he would believe that. Mister Reborn would have to swallow a thousand needles if he lied, and Freak didn't think that anyone would want to do that so it had to be true. That still didn't mean he was going to move however, and soon he was tucked up against Skull as Mister Reborn carried the two of them back up the stairs.

Despite his best efforts to stay awake, the gentle rocking movements were hard to ignore and, now that the nagging thought in the back of his mind had faded, it didn't take long before he was gone once again.

* * *

The door closed behind him with a gently thud and Renato had to fight the urge to scream, choosing instead to slam his head into the wall behind him. He had thought that after the sealing everything in the house would finally calm down. Yes, they would have to navigate the irritating week where the new bond pulled all of their instincts to the surface, but that was _normal._ He really had to stop attempting to apply that word to his current situation.

A common misconception about the Hitman was that he was a man that adored causing chaos. Okay, it wasn't a misconception. More like, a misclassification. Yes, Renato did enjoy the odd bouts of insanity and unexpected situations, but only when _he was the one causing them. _It was all fun and games when he could sit back and watch the reaction of others, but if there was one thing he despised, it was the feeling of not being in control. Because of this, the last few weeks had been very close to hell on earth for him, and that didn't seem to be ending any time soon. He was seriously considering hitting his head again in an attempt to dull the frustration when a flicker of movement to the side distracted him.

"Mou, it looks like things here haven't changed in my absence."

Ah, Viper. One of the few professionals in their field that he actually respected. As such, they were probably the only one in this mess that Renato actually trusted, or, at least as far as you could trust anyone in the Mafia. They were a little pricy, but with good, _accurate_ information being so rare these days, he supposes that they have every right to be. Either way, the other's presence should be enough to keep his mind off of things, for now at least.

"I'm guessing from the fact that you've returned so quickly that you've found something."

It wasn't a question and the Mist knew it, but they still paused for a few moments, just long enough for the Sun to get agitated, before they answered. It was a power play in itself, but Renato was going to ignore it. He had no energy for petty squabbles right now.

"A name and an address."

"_Viper_."

The edge in his voice was unmistakable and the Mist's Flames bristled before smoothing out in submission.

"Harry James Potter. He's the last living heir to the Peverell Famiglia."

Peverell? It was a name he had heard once, a long time ago, but he couldn't quite place where. Still, _Harry. _A common name for such an uncommon child, yet it fit somehow. It was good to finally have a proper name for their Sky, as much as the boy seemed to enjoy the slew of pet names he had been collecting from them all, there was nothing quite like having an identity of your own to cling to (he wasn't even going to _think _about that disgusting epithet the child had let slip. If he did he would be tempted to join the raging Storm outside).

Yes, they could easily have provided their Sky with a new name, one that either they or he had chosen for him, but Renato was… hesitant to do so. There could be a lot of love attached to a name that parents gave their child and he had no desire to take that from their Sky, especially not when he himself still clung to the only gift his Mama had given him that _that man _had been unable to spoil, refusing to relinquish it even when he chose his own trade name. So yes, they could have named their Sky and the boy would probably have adored whichever one they picked out, but the ability to return that little bit of his lost parents to a child who couldn't remember them… that was well worth the wait. Speaking of…

"Parents?"

"James and Lily, both deceased. The report said gas explosion, but it was… questionable."

A hit then, most likely. That was the last thing he needed to be worrying about right now. Though if Harry had been left alive then it suggests that the only targets had been the parents and not the boy himself which was a slight relief. Still, it wouldn't hurt to be a little more vigilant in case some 'family friends' came calling. But for now, he wouldn't dwell on it, jumping at shadows would only serve to exhaust them for when a threat truly did arrive.

"You said you had an address, do you know who…"

"Yes."

The Mist was deliberately testing his patience now, but even when he flared his Flames, the other stayed silent. Just wanting this exchange over so that he could go and blow off some steam Rentao started reaching for his wallet, only to be stopped by a slight shake of the Miser's head.

"Not this time. We should save the punishment of our Sky's abusers for when he is well enough to enjoy it. If I tell you now, they will be dead within the week."

Well, they weren't wrong, though he would have loved nothing more than to have a quiet _talk _with those who had tried so hard to _break his Sky. _Still, he could appreciate the allure in presenting to them just how badly they had failed by revealing a perfectly healthy, completely assured young Sky backed by the power of a full Harmony. He could wait until then. Probably. For now…

"You actually returned just in time. Checkerface should be arriving in the morning with the details of the first job. If we are to use these to 'make a name for ourselves' then it is safe to assume that we all need to take part."

If he enjoyed the way the hooded figure bristled at the mention of the other Mist in their set, then he wasn't going to show it. It was only well deserved revenge for Viper's recalcitrance. The thought of the upcoming job however, reminded him of the latest complication in their lives.

"For now, could you check on Skull? Something happened earlier that sent Harry into a strange form of panic attack and we found the Lackey unconscious by the basement. I _think _he just over worked his Flames, but I can't help thinking there's something _off _about this."

At this, the Mist looked visibly intrigued, even with the majority of their face hidden. To be honest, Renato couldn't blame them, it wasn't often that he willingly asked for help, even from someone that he cautiously named a friend such as Viper. Unfortunately, there was something in this house that was starting to wreak havoc with his paranoia and he had the horrible feeling that he wouldn't be able to face whatever it was on his own.

"Oh?"

"Did you even know we _had _a basement? I didn't, and I've been down there more times than I can count to get Harry away from Verde. I hadn't even noticed the staircase until the kid started pulling me down them."

"You think it might be a Mist Territory?"

Yes. No. He couldn't be sure. All he knew was that there was something _wrong _down there. He could trust Viper to look into it at least, Mist's _hated _having anyone else acting anywhere they had claimed as their territory, so if there was something to be found down there, the broker would find it.

"Possibly. I just know that the lackey was the first one to find it and he's currently unconscious. If you do look into it, be careful."

"Mou, seems like you do care about me after all. How _sweet._"

With that, the Mist faded out of the corridor leaving the Sun behind staring at the panelled wall and seriously regretting all of his choices. After a few seconds of this, he gave up and slipped back into the room where his Sky and the Cloud waited. If he was going to have to deal with more crazy, and it was beginning to look like that was just a part of his daily life now, he was at least going to be well rested for it.


	15. Course Correction

**A/N: So, two days of wicked head aches and a mountain of work meant this wasn't posted when it was intended to be. Still, here it is, and I hope you all enjoy it!**

* * *

If there was one thing that military training had never managed to train out of her, it was the fact that Lal absolutely _despised _mornings. Give her a night long watch and she would be perfectly fine, a little grouchy, but nothing too bad. Let her get even an hour of sleep in that time and she was impossible. It was a universal truth, but that didn't seem to help any when a moronic masked Mist decided to come calling in the _very _early hours of the morning.

One minute, she had been blissfully dreaming in the warmth of her covers and the next she had been dangling from her leg above a pit of snakes. Needless to say, she had no intentions of apologizing for the sudden appearance of several bullet holes in the hallway walls. Though, from the commotion the others caused when it was there turn, it didn't look like anyone was really in a position to be pointing fingers. Still, here she was, slouched in one of the two identical blue chairs and clinging to her coffee mug like it was a life line.

"When you said you would bring the job information to us today, we had expected it to be _during _day light hours."

The smile on Fon's face was disturbing in the sheer amount of killing intent it gave off. No expression that sweet should hold such promises of death, even if it did offer her some vindication of her own bleary eyed state. There was an owl still hooting outside the window for God's sake.

"Ah, well, I figured that you would want as much time to plan for this job as possible and as it is needs to happen tonight at the latest…"

In this state, the gunshot didn't even make her flinch, though it did remind her of the small calibre pistol hidden up her sleeve. Maybe she should join the Hitman in his target practice? The soft thump of a weight falling to her shoulder indicated that Colonnello had lost his fight to stay awake. She fought the urge to slap him.

"If it was so important for us to complete the job on a deadline, why didn't you give us the information earlier?"

Hmmm, the growl in that voice was pure sin, and by she meant five death threats and a nuclear bomb wrapped up in bloody contracts and delivered in a decapitated head as a gift basket. She might have been tempted to move her chair a little further away, but she'd just found the most comfortable position with her head on the table and she really didn't feel like moving…

"I figured you would want the time to adjust to the new Guardian bonds."

Well, she could see that being a valid argument. The last few days had certainly been interesting with the sudden surges of their Flames sending Colonnello and her moods rapidly cycling from stoned out of their minds to extremely depressed to 'I'm going to sleep for the next century'. That being said, it didn't half sound like a cop-out answer. Yes they were all being affected by the violent forming of the bonds, and if she was being brutally honest with herself, she still hadn't fully recovered, but that didn't mean that they couldn't have at least been planning this… heist? Dear God what even was her life right now?

"Indeed, but our 'adjustments' did not completely impair out faculties. If you had provided us with the necessary data we would still have been able to form a plan of attack. More likely, you want to observe how we respond under pressure and have decided to indulge your latent sadistic tendencies in the process."

Ah, Verde. Soot stained and rumpled, yet still the most conscious person in the meeting. The chances were he hadn't even been asleep when the masked bastard came calling. Given the fact that she hadn't seen him at all in the last day or two, he hadn't slept in a while either.

"I'm sure that I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Bullshit!"

It took a minute, and an intense glare from Reborn who had shifted his hands to cover the ears of their still sleeping Sky who was perched in his lap, to realise that she was the one who had spoken. In her defence,

She was right.

The brat was asleep

And c) she was still Flame Drunk damnit.

When they had first found the boy, lost in the woods and unconscious as he was, she had never expected him to have such a _potent _Flame. Admittedly, she had at least had some taster in the weeks that had followed, but the small burn of the fledgling bond while the boy was still sick had _nothing _on the full Harmony that had occurred now that the brat was at full strength. She wasn't sure if she was stoned, drunk or hung-over, but the happy bubbling of the orange stream in the back of her mind made it difficult to care. It didn't help that, on top of her own Guardian bond, she was experiencing the echoes of it through her bond with her partner and vice versa. It was actually a wonder that the two of them had made it down the stairs without breaking their necks.

"Why do you even want us to steal such an old journal anyway? It doesn't look like it'll be worth anything."

Skull honestly looked like death warmed over, though whether that was due to the hastily applied face paint or some other reason, she couldn't really be bothered to work out right now. The lackey _did_ have a point though.

According to the files they had all been given, they were supposed to be stealing the private journal of an old mafia boss. Normally, that would have been rather useful in terms of the blackmail opportunities alone, but that was all null and void when one took into account that said mafia boss was dead. He had _been _dead for over 300 years now. What was the point?

"This task is not about the value of the item, it is about building your reputation. Bermuda's journal is currently being displayed in one of the most highly protected museums in Italy. If you can steal it from there without leaving a trace, people will take note."

"And the reason we're stealing a crappy diary instead of something important like, I don't know, his s_word _is because…?"

Another glare from the Sun, but at this point she was beyond caring. To be honest, she was beginning to think that maybe death would be a mercy at this point. At least she would no longer have to put up with the sheer looming insanity of it all.

"Because the journal has become the calling card of the Arcobaleno. Every generation steals it as an announcement that they have formed. You get that, and the leaders of the Mafia world will know what it means."

Great, they were doing some sort of initiation. Why not?

"If that's the case, then why do we have to go after it tonight? It doesn't seem like a time sensitive task to me."

"Tonight is when the museum is holding an event especially for foster families. I figured that this would be the perfect opportunity for some of you to sneak inside. You will have to work out will play the roles between you however."

As one, the eyes of everyone at the table turned to look at the child sleeping in Reborn's lap and Lal finally allowed herself to voice the groan that she had been holding in since she had woken up that morning. This was going to end in blood.

Attempting to keep the smile on her face was beginning to feel like more effort than it was worth, but with her Sky's happy laughter bubbling down from where he was perched on the Cloud's shoulders, she did her best to soldier on. After a round of tense, though surprisingly none violent, arguments, it had eventually been decided that Lal and Reborn would attend the event. No one had been too happy with that arrangement but they hadn't been able to argue; foster parents were normally married couples and as the only obviously female member of their group, it only made sense that Lal would have to go. Yes, Viper would have been able to create an illusion over themself or one of the others but seeing as they couldn't risk someone sensing the Mist Flames, she had been left with little choice.

The decision of who would be her 'husband' hadn't been surprising either. Reborn had been glued to their Sky since the moment they had found him, there was no way he was going to allow the boy into such an uncertain situation without being present himself. Which just left the fourth member of their group.

"Look Mama, they have ice cream, can we get some before we leave?"

Lal could feel her eye starting to twitch.

The main focus of the argument had been about allowing the baby Sky into foreign territory (Giglio Nero if they weren't mistaken) with only two of his Guardian's in close proximity. None of them had been happy with such a risk, and they had fought over ways around it before Colonnello had come up with the idea that was going to see him sleeping on the couch for the next week at least.

Skull was 21 but without his makeup, he could easily pass for 17 if not younger, meaning that he was the perfect choice to play the part of the 'big brother' or first foster child. A role that he seemed to be enjoying immensely.

To be fair to the Cloud, he really was doing his best to sell the bit. Before they had left, he had exchanged his normal driving suit for some ripped jeans and a faded band t-shirt he had pulled out of God only knows where. With his makeup gone, piercings removed and hair dyed black, he really did look the part of a laid back teen. Not only that, but his acting skills were beginning to give her a headache.

"Maybe later Stefano, but you know how your brother gets when given sugar so late at night."

The Hitman was enjoying this as well, in fact, it seemed like she was the only one who was actually uncomfortable in this situation, though that probably shouldn't have been so surprising. Skull was a stuntman after all, that meant he had to have at least a little bit of acting ability and the chances were that Reborn had been forced to learn in order to get close to a mark at some point. Taking a deep breath, she leaned back, tugging a little at the Sky Flames that still lingered in her system as she attempted to relax into her role.

"Look sweetie, it's that painting on the brochure. Let's go have a look before the crowds get too bad."

That said, she latched onto the Hitman's hand and pulled the group over to the far wall. If said painting just so happened to be _right next to _a certain journal, well, how was anyone else going to notice?

* * *

He was lost.

Freak knew he wasn't supposed to let go of Skull's hand, but the crowd of people had been pressing in so close and he had panicked. All it had taken was for 1 person to bump into him for Freak to go tumbling forwards and when he had finally been able to stand up again, the constant tide of people moving around the room had already pulled him far enough away that he hadn't been able to see his family anymore. For a second he tried to push himself as far up on his toes as possible in the hope that he would be able to spot one of them, but it was no use.

In the back of his mind, a voice that sounded very like Dudley started whispering that this was the whole reason they had brought him here today, just to lose him in the crowd. Aunt Petunia had certainly attempted this before, but somehow Freak knew that he couldn't rely on those men in strange robes to take him home again this time…

No. He knew his new family. They wouldn't do that to him! Mister Reborn had told him that he would be staying with them forever and he wouldn't lie, he promised!

With tears in his eyes, Freak carefully made his way back to the outer edge of the room, careful to dodge around all of the adults and their long legs that would squash him without even noticing he was there. Maybe, if he managed to get to a quieter area, he would be able to pull on the lights and they would lead him back to his family? It was worth trying at the very least.

Freak's search for a quiet place ended up taking him far longer and far further than he had ever expected. No matter which room in the big building he walked into, it was always packed with people. There were even places where they were standing so close together that he could barely breathe! Needless to say, he didn't stay long in those particular rooms.

Eventually, he managed to find a turn off where none of the others seemed to be heading and, even though he had to duck under a weird rope between two poles, he finally managed to find a room that was quiet and empty. In the absence of people however, it finally hit him just what sort of situation he was in and he dropped down into a dark corner, curling into a protective ball as he tried to think things through.

Here he was, in a place where he had never been before, completely alone with no idea of how to get back to the entrance. To make things even worse, he didn't even know how long he had been searching for, so he had no idea if the others had even noticed that he was gone. Maybe they had gone home without him?

No, they wouldn't. He knew they wouldn't!

Still, it was late and all alone, Freak was really starting to miss the big house where they had all been living since Santa had given him to his family. He missed Verde's experiments that made weird smells and lights dance around the walls. He missed Viper's stories that always came to life in the air around them. Miss Lal's singing when she found him after a nightmare. Fon making tea in the early hours of the morning, and Mister Reborn cuddling him tight at bed time promising to keep the bad dreams away. He really wanted one of those hugs right now.

"Come sei tornado qui piccolo? Ti sei perso?"

Freak immediately froze at the new voice from the room he had thought was empty. It wasn't that the voice was all that loud or scary, it actually seemed really sweet, but it had been so long since he had been spoken to by someone who wasn't one of his lights that Freak didn't know how to respond to her.

Speaking of lights, this new person had one too, not as bright as the ones he held, but warm and fluttery in a way that he had never felt before. She was also orange, just like him! Intrigued now, Freak looked up, only to be greeted by a really big woman. Not big as in tall, but she looked as though she had stuck a ball under her dress. It didn't look very comfortable.

"Ciao."

She was smiling at him, but when Freak looked in her eyes, it didn't seem like she meant it. Instead, she looked more like the times that Dudley had gone to poke some poor animal with a stick. He didn't think that she meant any harm to him, his light would have told him if she had, but he wasn't too sure that she was nice either. Unconsciously, Freak began to edge back towards the door though he didn't dare stand properly, turning the movement into an awkward crab walk that made the woman's smile a little more genuine.

"Sei tornato con me adesso?"

What was she saying to him? Some of the words sounded familiar, he was sure that Mister Reborn had called him 'piccolo' before though all the other's rushed over his head. Despite the woman's soothing tone, Freak could feel the tears start to fall faster down his cheeks. He wanted his family. He really, _really _wanted one.

Almost as if on cue, the door behind the two of them burst open, sending the woman lunging to side out of its path. Freak wasn't too concerned, it did put some distance between the two of them after all. In the time he had been considering this however, Freak had forgotten to pay attention to just what exactly had happened to the door in the first place. This meant that, when the strong arms first scooped him up from his half curled position on the floor, he began to struggle, until the warmth of the violet light registered and he relaxed back into Skull's hold.

"Harry! What have we told you about wandering off in public places? You scared your mother and me half to death with that stunt!"

Ah, Mister Reborn had come into the room as well, a tight smile twisting his lips as the yellow light began to bubble all over Freak's body in search of an injury. If he hadn't been so relieved to see the man, Freak might have laughed, but as it was, he was too distracted in wondering just who 'Harry' was. He was so preoccupied that he failed to notice the adults exchanging suspicious looks above his head before Miss Lal stepped into the room and flashed a bright (fake) grin at the big woman.

"Ah, you found him. Thank you so much Ma'am, who knows what might have happened to him on his own."

The woman smiled back, straightening to her full height as she moved a hand to support the small of her back.

From his position in Skull's arms, Freak could just about make out the faint twitch of her fingers and the response of a slight flicker of movement in the far corner of the room, but when nothing else happened, he turned his attention back to where Mister Reborn had been continuing the conversation. The man was now smirking smoothly at her as he bent to kiss the back of her hand.

"… you again for finding our son. Harry is such a curious child that it is hard to keep track of him at all times."

"It was honestly no problem Mr…"

"Ah, mie scuse, I am Franceso D'Angelo. My wife, Carla and our sons, Stefano and you have already met Harry."

He straightened from his half bow and pointed to them in turn as he listed names. As the woman's eyes landed on them all, Freak could sense the bad feeling growing until it reached the point that all he wanted to do was grab his family and drag them as far away as possible. As it was, he could only stay where he was, tucked up in Skull's arms, as her smile took on a knowing tint with just a hint of bitterness.

"Pleasure to meet you. My name's Luce. Luce de Giglio Nero."


	16. Storm Warning

**A/N: Sorry this is so late, timetabling this week was a pain, plus I have been pretty sick. Still, it's nearly Christmas Holidays and I'm feeling a little better so : New Chapter.**

**Hope you all enjoy!**

* * *

Luce de Giglio Nero.

Renato had heard of her of course, you didn't get to the level he had in the mafia world without memorising the heads of the most important Famiglias. For such a small family, the Giglio Nero were surprisingly powerful and there had been rumours about their Donnas for generations. As much as the Hitman tended to disregard hearsay, there was something about the stories of precognition that made his instincts itch. All that was irrelevant however, when compared to the fact that she was standing far too close to _his _Sky.

Making sure to send her his most disarming smile, Renato made sure to position himself so that Harry was all but completely hidden from view.

"A pleasure Madonna. Am I to assume that you are our gracious host for this evening?"

The Donna was a good actress, he would give her that, but there was something _off _about the way that she was observing them that made him _sure _that she knew _something_. Inside, his instincts were going haywire, but he made sure that not even a hint of that showed on his face. He was stealing from this woman and her Famiglia, it wouldn't do to draw unwanted attention to them.

"Ah, yes. I hope that you and your family are enjoying yourselves."

As she spoke, her eyes flickered back over the rest of his group, taking note of the way that they bristled when her eyes landed on the child in the Cloud's arm. Obviously understanding exactly what the problem was, she raised her hands in surrender and took a half step back. Behind the curtain, the woman's Lightning flinched, but Renato ignored him. He would have to untangle himself if he wanted to be a threat, by which time the Hitman would have taken _good _care of him.

"Oh yes, the exhibit is simply superb. I adore the Rembrandt in the third hall."

For someone who had been broadcasting their discomfort all night, it was amazing how well the little soldier managed to throw herself into the role. If it wasn't his arm that she was attempting to act as a tourniquet to, he might have bought the flustered air head act. As it was, Renato was silently thankful that his Flames would be able to fix any damage that the lack of blood flow would cause. While the women carried on their inane yet charged conversation however, the Hitman's attention was soon drawn to the shivering child behind him.

The second that Skull had called out to them, voice shaking in both panic and downright terror in anticipation of their reaction, telling them that he had lost sight of their Sky, a frozen knife had slipped through the Sun's ribs, locking him in place. A split second later, the cold was replaced by a burning ball of fury that had loosened his limbs and sent the Hitman running through all the halls of the museum in an attempt to find the child.

From what he had learned of the boy in their weeks together, Renato was pretty sure that Harry would have moved to a less populated area while he waited for one of them to find him, but it didn't matter what room he checked, the boy wasn't there. Finally living up to his nature, Renato had given in to the incessant need to _move _and all but flickered from room to room in his search. All the while, the thoughts of just _what _could be happening to their unprotected baby Sky in the time since he had gone missing were tormenting him to the point that his Flames were almost burning _him _in their frustration.

When he finally felt it, the slight shiver of fear jolting through his Flames from a room in the left wing, the Hitman wasn't sure if he was relieved or terrified.

Everything that had happened between that feeling and Skull kicking in the door was a blur but now, staring into those watery green eyes that he had become accustomed to in the last month or so, he could finally feel the burning edge of his panic beginning to fade away.

"There you are Tesoro. Don't you ever do that to us again okay?"

For a second, those blurry orbs simply blinked at him before the boy slowly nodded and reached out, a small pout on his face. One day, Renato would have to learn how to resist that look, but for now, he was just happy to have is Sky in his arms once again. After finally managing to escape the Rain's grasp, he buried his face in those fluffy black locks and playing with those happy Sky Flames. Unfortunately, the Hitman must have done the unthinkable and lost track of his surroundings as the next comment caught him completely off guard.

"My Guardians have informed me that a certain Journal has been replaced. Am I to take it that you are the new I Prescelti Sette?"

Damn Sky attraction and the strength of new Guardian bonds.

Locking up, the Sun shifted the Sky into one arm and allowed his gun to fall into his free hand, levelling it directly at the Donna who was now staring at them with a distinctly smug air to her smile. Even as her Guardian's burst forward at the sudden threat, the woman didn't really react.

"So I'm right."

Behind him, he could feel the Lackey's Flames flare up and everyone else in the room froze. Ah yes, there was no one in the mafia who wanted to deal with an irate Cloud, especially not one who had been chosen as a member of 'the Strongest Seven'. If the situation hadn't been so serious, Renato might have found their sudden confusion amusing, Skull was so used to acting like a civilian that no one had bothered trying to check him for Flames before he blew up. As it was, the Hitman didn't even flinch.

"And if we are?"

He really should have known that this night had been going too easily. In fact, his life had been going far too well recently for him to have expected any less. Good things didn't happen to him after all. Still, now that he had finally found even an ounce of happiness, they would have to drag it from his cold dead hands because Renato was a possessive bastard and he was not letting this feeling go.

That knowing smile was really making his trigger finger itch.

"No, no. We simply expected you to have made your appearance earlier. It's a relief to know that nothing has gone wrong, we were getting worried."

So the Giglio Nero had some connection to I Prescelti Sette. At least that was one of the rumours confirmed, though it did nothing to lower his guard. As amiable as she was attempting to appear, the woman was still the Donna of a powerful Famiglia and if there was one universal truth for the leaders of the mafia, it was that they did not like to let powerful assets go. There was a very real threat of the woman attempting to keep them under her thumb and those were games that he was not willing to pay while he was cradling his baby Sky in his arms.

"The sentiment is appreciated, but unnecessary. As you can see, we're fine."

Twitchy and near homicidal, but fine. From the looks she was flashing around the dark corners of the room, it was clear that she was attempting to search out the rest of the set, but given the fact that they were all lingering outside the building, she wasn't going to find anything. Eventually, her curious gaze fell back onto Harry and Reborn could practically _feel _his eyes begin to glow a lurid yellow.

"Such a young child for an active Sky. What Famiglia is he from?"

If he was feeling a little more forgiving, he might have said that there was a trace of sadness in the Donna's voice. Given his current mood, he was still sorely tempted to shoot her instead. This conversation was heading into dangerous territory and it was about time they left.

"Yes. Forgive me, but it is about time that we head off. Children need their sleep after all."

That said, he took a step backwards, dragging with him the Rain who was once more attached to his arm even as she played with her own concealed pistol, and flanked by the quietly growling Cloud. He had absolutely no intention of turning his back on the woman and her Guardians, but he could still sense the Storm who had shifted to block the door behind them.

"Of course. But please, for formalities sake, which Famiglia should I be congratulating on this monumental occasion."

Oh, he knew exactly what she was doing but unfortunately it looked like he was going to have to play along. Her Guardians were blocking all of the escape routes so those were a no go, but that didn't mean that Renato was out of options. After all, this situation was just begging for a touch of chaos.

"Peverell."

Just as he had expected, the name of dead familiar was shocking enough that it gave Renato to the perfect opportunity to drag his group over to the open window. Not three seconds later they were outside, shrouded in Viper's Mist as they quickly merged back into the endless sea of families. That had been far too close.

* * *

As soon as the small group was out of sight, Kawahira allowed his illusions to fade, a small smile marring his face as he looked at the previous Sky candidate. He understood her curiosity, but luring the child here had been an underhanded move none the less. He really hoped that she wasn't going to start being a problem, Sepira's bloodline was far too rare to afford losing even one member.

"Was there a reason for that?"

Watching the Donna and her Guardians flinch at his unexpected statement was amusing, but ultimately did little to ease the coil of frustration in his chest. It had been hard enough to keep himself hidden when the boy had stumbled into the room, his tear stained face sending the Earthling's instincts into a swirling panic. Kawahira was going to remain civil for this overdue conversation however, no matter how much effort it cost him.

"And so you finally show yourself Administrator. I was beginning to wonder where you'd gone."

Hah, as if he would even be interacting with her now if she hadn't insisted in sticking her nose where it so clearly didn't belong. Still, this particular human had the knowledge to quite the thorn in his plans, so he would bite his tongue and play along… for now.

"Surely it's clear by now that you were not chosen. I have no reason to approach you."

The knowing ook on the woman's face twisted a little like that and it felt like victory. Yes, she had information that would be annoying if she decided to share it, but he also knew her. He had watched Sepira's line through all their lives and he knew just which buttons to press if he wanted a reaction. While he was still fighting back a smirk however, the Sky's Flames flared and a dark look spread through her eyes.

"Yet you chose a _child. _Is he even old enough to understand the situation when you curse him? Or is he just a convenient lamb to be sacrificed to the Tri-Ni-Sette?"

Even under his iron control, his own Flames hissed and spit at the accusations. This baby Sky, the one that clung to him, yelling strange things even as he pulled the Mist close, offering him a home in his Harmony… the baby Sky that his Flames were demanding he coddle in a way that he had never felt towards another living being. The future Sky Arcobaleno.

Luce wasn't wrong. He _hated _her for that.

"You know how they work. The Pacifiers choose whoever they want to choose, I am simply the one to facilitate the choice."

And there was no way around it once the pacifier had already bonded to its chosen Flame. The fact that he had willingly pulled the child into this fate, sought him out in a way he had never done for the previous hosts, was sickening, but there was nothing he could do now. There were no other solutions, so he would not allow himself to falter.

"So he really was the most convenient choice."

"Why do you care exactly? You have never been squeamish over the difficult choices before."

An unknown emotion flickered to life behind the woman's eyes, but she looked away too quickly for his to decipher it. Not that he needed to see them for that. The small twist to her mouth was something he had learned to read centuries before this particular bearer had even been thought of.

That insolent little brat.

"So this concern really is just a front. You care nothing for a stranger, young or not. You're just annoyed that your precious _gift_ failed you."

For months now Kawahira and his… fellow Elements (how strange it was to think those words in regards to himself, he had never had cause before) had been trying anything and everything they could think of in order to protect their newfound home (despite his attempts to ignore his own actions, Kawahira's Flames had made them and their opinion of the child abundantly clear when they had latched onto the boy and refused to let go, so now it was time to face the truth). Despite their constant efforts however, they had still not managed to latch onto the happy ending that this _girl _had been offered at _their_ expense and she had the _nerve _to be _jealous _of all things.

"You have been granted the opportunity to see your child grow, to live your life without your neck on the chopping block. Be thankful for that."

Even with centuries of control at his disposal, it was becoming harder and harder to suppress the sheer fury that was beginning to boil within him. It would probably be best for him to leave now to ensure that he didn't do something that he might be made to regret in the future. Before he could calm his Flames enough to make his escape however, the brat decided to dig herself a deeper hole.

"They were supposed to be mine."

If he had been anyone else, the broken tone to that whispered confession might have elicited some form of sympathy, but as it was, it only freed the sneer that had been pushing at his lips for the duration of the whole conversation. He didn't know what the rest of his face looked like behind his half mask, but judging from the stumbled step backwards of the Sky and her Guardians, it was not pleasant. _Good._

"They were _never _yours."

Done with pretty much everything now, the Mist quickly wrapped his Fames around his body and willed them to take him anywhere that wasn't there. In hindsight, he probably should have been a little more specific because the next second he found himself staring down the barrel of a gun. Again.

"You know, if you keep doing that every time we meet, I'm going to start thinking you don't like me."

When in doubt, sarcasm and snark were usually a good way of defending himself, but with the gentle tugging of the Sky Flames seeping from the sleeping child in the nearby bed, pulling up the needed bite was difficult. Then he sent a glance in the Hitman's direction, and suddenly, it was much easier.

"What happened back there? I know you were watching."

Ah yes, one of the _other _problems of being drawn into this specific Harmony, it would now be practically impossible to hide from the other members due to them being instinctively attuned to the specific frequency of all Flames in the set. That was going to make his job a lot harder in the future, but for now, it did at least give him a starting point for what was, undoubtedly, going to become a long conversation.

"Luce de Giglio Nero has a minor ability that allows her occasional glimpses into the future. As rare as they are, they have still made her complacent so, when events do not proceed as she has seen them, she gets agitated."

For a few seconds following his statement, the room was silent. Never let it be said that Renato Sinclair is slow on the uptake however, and soon the gun had been tucked back into a side pocket, the well tailored suit managing to hide it quite effectively. Now that there was no longer a weapon in his face, Kawahira allowed his focus to drift to the Hitman's face and was almost surprised to see a look of contemplation settled there instead of the anger that was so common.

"She was meant to be the Sky of our set, wasn't she?"

His voice was quiet, though whether this was due to the deep thoughts distracting him or in deference to the sleeping child, Kawahira couldn't say. Either way, when he replied, his voice echoed the softened tone, much to his surprise.

"She was a candidate."

That… there really wasn't much else he could say. Even if the Sun hadn't already gained a reputation as a human lie detector, the Earthling didn't think that he would have been able to lie about this. The events around this generation of the Arcobaleno were beginning to wear on him. For over half a year he had been frantically searching for one answer or another and now that he had hit a dead end with his research he was forced to admit that he was _tired. _There was something deep in the blackened pit of his soul that _begged _him to reach out to someone, _anyone, _who could possibly lift the weight from his shoulders and well… who better than a fellow Guardian.

For the first time in their acquaintance, the Sun obliged.

"'She was a candidate', suggesting that that there was something that made Harry more suitable. Although her Flames are significantly weaker, it still would have made more sense to choose the well established adult over a small child if you truly intended for us to take the role you described. What aren't you telling us?"

At that, the Earthling nearly laughed. What wasn't he telling them? Oh the answers to that question could fill a book. For a moment, a bubble of hysteria attempted to claw its way out of his throat, but he swallowed it down. Now was not the time.

"A good many things, but do they really matter?"

In the blink of an eye, the Hitman had lunged forwards, slamming Kawahira into a wall where he kept him pinned with a redrawn gun and a snarl. The Earthling didn't fight it. In his mind, the faces of many long past flashed so quickly that they all blurred together. Different ages, races, times and personalities, but they all had the same expression.

Maybe this whole situation was his penance for the lives he had ruined throughout his own or maybe he was just growing maudlin in his old age. It was becoming increasingly difficult to care, whichever one it was.

Oh, the Hitman was talking.

"... who you are or what you've done, but I will give you this warning in deference to our shared Sky: If your plans harm Harry in _any way _I will make it my life's mission to make yours a _living hell_. Do you understand?"

Hmmm, the resemblance was uncanny. Perhaps he should give the man a top hat at some point? And to make his life a 'living hell'? Good Luck with that. Still, there was only one response to a demand such as this.

"If" (when) "that time comes… I'll be waiting."


	17. Bleed in Colour

**A/N: a little later than expected, but the end of term is always frantic. The Christmas break will probably mean more frequent updates though so that's something! This is a little weirder than normal, but I hope you guys still enjoy it and I'll see you all next time!**

* * *

After the events of the rushed heist, things seemed to even out a bit, though Skull was pretty sure that life in this madhouse could never be classed as 'normal'. Especially when murder was becoming a normal breakfast topic.

"All I'm saying is that Carbon Monoxide Poisoning is a scarily common cause of death. No one would ever know!"

And here Skull had been under the impression that Miss Lal was the _sanest _member of the group. A little trigger happy to be sure, but still relatively normal. Across from him, the stuntman was treated to the sight of the other gunslinger of the group blithely spoon feeding scrambled eggs to a happy, squirming toddler and he was forced to squash the urge to slam his head into the table. Was he the only one who could see the problem with that statement?

"Don't be so rash Lal."

Fon swept into the room like an angel of mercy, restoring Skull's fading faith in reality just as he restored the depleted stack of omelettes in the centre of the table.

"Carbon Monoxide poisoning is practically painless. They deserve far worse."

Of course. Skull had to remember who he was dealing with here. A gentle smile did not a kind man make.

"What about a pack of wolves? That would be painful a_nd _messy!"

"They live in _England _Blondie, the most dangerous wildlife over there is the badger."

Oh great, even creepy Mister 'my life is dictated by logic and science' was getting in on this. Chibi-chan had now moved on to chewing his way through a small mountain of mixed berries. There would be no help from that quarter, not that he had really been expecting it, but still…

"What about you Skull?"

The sound of his name finally pulled the Stuntman's gaze away from where it had been mesmerized by the disturbing red smears around the toddler's mouth and over to the Hitman who was currently eying him over the rim of a coffee cup.

"What about me?"

"Well, you _are _a Cloud aren't you? Surely you have _some _ideas?"

Some idea- Why the _hell _would he have any idea on the best way to _kill _someone? Sure, he would love to spend 10 minutes in a room with the monsters who had dared to hurt _his _Chibi-chan so badly, and _maybe _they would have to spend some time in intensive care afterwards, but he'd never go so far as to _murder _them!

"Why do we even have to kill them in the first place?"

The effect of that question was immediate as all sound around the table simply stopped. One by one, the others turned to stare at him, the atmosphere was so tense that Skull felt like bolting, but then the Italian smirked and he froze.

"Good point. Death is too easy an out. We should bring them down to the level of insects, then force them to live on in hell as a warning to all who would harm _our _Sky. Such a sadistic idea, as expected of a Cloud. I'm impressed!"

That wasn't what Skull meant and he knew it. Damn that man, but it was too late to take the words back now, the others had seized on the idea and were running with it.

"Mou, remove them from the national registry and they would be trapped, unable to even apply for another job. How long would it take you to hack the British Government Verde?"

Skull… was never going to do anything to piss Viper off, that was for sure. Anyone who could talk so casually about completely erasing someone's life from official records was not someone he ever wanted working against him. Still…

"Hey, hey, does that mean you're actually going to give us names now Viper?"

He probably shouldn't have asked that, especially not when he considered the current mood in the room, but it had just sort of… slipped out. It was something that had been bugging him for a while now. After the second time the hooded… person? had disappeared, they had come back just before the heist, obviously having discovered something, but had refused to tell them anything. Trying to get anything out of them other than the name 'Harry' had been like getting blood out of a stone.

"How much would you pay me?"

The groans in the kitchen could probably have been heard outside, but in that moment, Chibi-chan pushed his plate into the middle of the table catching everyone's attention.

"I'm done!"

Oh god, where those actual sparkles in the air around the kid or was Skull imagining things? Either way, that was probably the cutest, self-satisfied grin that he had ever seen. Not only that, it was also the perfect excuse to make his escape.

"Good job Chibi-chan, now how about we go and get you all cleaned up?"

Quickly as he could, Skull darted forward to scoop up the giggling child and raced towards the door. He could _feel _Reborn's glare burning into his back, but he wasn't going to acknowledge it. Leave the murder plots to the crazy people, _he _was going to have bath time with his cute little Sky and there was nothing the others could do about it.

They had made it half way down the corridor and Skull was beginning to mentally congratulate himself when the previously lax toddler went rigid in his hold.

"Harry, what's wrong?"

Although their boy had never been the most talkative of people, the child's upbringing meant that whenever they asked him a question or said something that could even vaguely be construed as a request, the child would respond. It was disturbing to see the ingrained need to please those around him, but it also meant that it was extremely concerning whenever he _didn't _respond. Feeling his Flames begin to bubble underneath his skin, Skull followed the boy's gaze to where it was locked on the door to the stairs leading down to the cellar.

"You can go play with Creepy later. He's still in the kitchen remember?"

Again, there was no response and a cold chill began to slither down his spine. Cuddling the boy closer, he manoeuvred one hand free and checked the child's forehead. It was still a little cooler than the others insisted it should be, but otherwise, he couldn't find anything wrong.

"Harry?"

"Skull-nii, we need to go down stairs!"

What? But there was nothing down there other than the lab and as Verde was currently attempting to empty the house of coffee, there wouldn't be any point in going there so why…? Actually, that wasn't true, there was something else… The stuntman was shivering now, his grip tightening around the boy without any conscious thought.

"There's nothing down there Chibi-chan. You need a bath and that's _upstairs._"

The next second, he was made incredibly thankful for the iron grip he had on the toddler as the baby Sky began to squirm incessantly. Suddenly it was like trying to hold on to a greased cat.

"Hey, no, settle down. You can't go down there alone!"

"We need to go down there!"

Well, this was getting them nowhere fast. To make matters worse, he could feel the gentle fuzz he was beginning to associate with Sky Flames on the edge of his senses and when he managed to turn the child back to him, the usual green of his eyes was a shimmering orange. There would be no winning this.

"Okay, okay, we'll go. You have to stay in my arms however, and if I say you have to run, then you _run _Chibi-chan. Do you understand me?"

Maybe he was overreacting, but there was something _tearing _at his instincts and he would have loved nothing more in that instant than to bundle the kid back into the kitchen where the others would form an impenetrable defence. There was something down there that was _bad news _he just couldn't remember what exactly it was.

It looked like he was going to find out now.

Each step down the staircase made it feel like another rock was settling in his gut but thankfully the gentle weight of the child in his arms was enough to keep him settled. What he did do however, was spread his Flames into the air around them in the way that Reborn had taught him. If anything so much as twitched in their area, he would bolt.

Moving past the lab had been much harder last time, he could vaguely remember the pressure that had almost suffocated him the last time he had come this far, but this time it was nowhere to be found. That didn't make it any easier to move, but he managed. Somehow.

"Chibi-chan, are you sure we have to do this? Something seems wrong here."

"Uh-huh."

The child had settled down but was now staring intently ahead of them. It was strange, but it did make it an awful lot easier to carry him.

Despite his best efforts to stretch the trip out, Skull found himself back in front of those ornate doors that he had found before. It had been impossible to tell last time, not when he had been dead on his feet, but now that he was looking with a somewhat clear mind, he could tell that there was a very thick layer of dust over the fixture. It wasn't all that surprising, it hadn't looked like anyone else had been down there for a _very _long time but, in the faint light drifting down from behind them, he could just about trick himself into thinking that the metal details to the door looked a little more polished than the rest.

It was probably just a trick of the half light, and with the Sky leaning eagerly forwards, he shrugged it off. He was reaching out, free hand all but touching the cool stone, close enough that he could feel the chill bleeding from it. Just a little more and his instincts were screaming now…

"Lackey!"

The sudden bark behind him had the Stuntman jerking backwards, free arm pin wheeling as he attempted to keep his balance. After a few seconds however, recognition filtered through the pounding of his heart and he was able to breathe a little easier.

"Reborn, what are you doing here?"

"That is _my_ line Lackey. I thought you were taking our Sky for a _bath!"_

Now that he wasn't so transfixed on the doors, he could feel the searing heat of the other's Flames flooding the air around them and despite the anger he could feel burning his skin, he relaxed. The Hitman was the primary care taker of the little boy after all, maybe he would be able to talk the kid out of… whatever this was.

"Don't look at me, I didn't really have a choice in this."

The Italian was distinctly unimpressed with that, but his gaze quickly shifted from the Cloud's face and onto the child who was _still _transfixed by the door.

"Tesoro?"

Was that a note of concern he could detect in the other's voice? Surely not. Still, Skull couldn't deny the fact that _he _was concerned when the boy didn't even respond to his favourite adult. This had never happened before.

"Harry, mio cielo, look at me."

There was still no response so the Italian moved around them so that he was actually in the boy's line of sight. The reaction to that was immediate as the child blinked several times before reaching for the Hitman. Skull tried to ignore the twinge of hurt at that, he knew Reborn was Chibi-chan's favourite, that didn't mean it didn't sting to be replaced so quickly.

"Mister 'born!"

Snuggled into the Italian's immaculate suit, the kid was the perfect picture of adorableness, which only grew worse when he began to pout, his eyes glittering.

"Need to go in!"

And they were back to the sentence fragments. Obviously, whatever was upsetting the toddler was strong enough to make his language skills again and it was enough to make the Stuntman growl. He hated seeing the kid upset. Reborn must have been made of sterner stuff than him however, because the man barely blinked.

"No bambino, what you need is a _bath. _You won't find one in there."

How on earth did the man manage to put a reprimand in such a soft tone? Yet another thing about the weirdo that made no sense. Still, if it was going to get them away from the door, then Skull was all for it. Whatever was happening here was giving him a headache and he would have much preferred to go and sleep it off with the perfectly sized cuddle bug in his arms. Unfortunately, he had forgotten who he was dealing with again.

"But I guess we could have a little look inside. It's been bothering me too."

Damn it Reborn, wasn't he supposed to be the most protective out of all of them? Still, he wasn't exactly in a position to stop the man as he reached out and pushed…

The cold gust that greeted them was completely cliché given the horror story that his life was set on becoming lately and, now that he thought about it, so was he barrier that suddenly sprang up stopping him from entering after the other two.

"Hey guys? Guys?"

There was no response and he was stuck watching the two of them walk deeper into the pitch black room until the doors swung shut in his face.

Great.

* * *

After the Cloud had taken their Sky from the kitchen, an itch had started up under Reborn's skin. It was similar to the way that his Flames would begin to chew on him if he was still for too long, but this time it came with the added discomfort of a lead weight that settled in his stomach and refused to leave. In the end, it only took five minutes before he was following the two out into the hall.

Curiously, when he had move through the hallway, he hadn't been able to hear Skull moving around on the floor above him. The civilian was not the quietest person in the world and it was normally easy to track his movements through the house just by the floor boards alone. This time, it was impossible. The second he passed the stairway door, warning bells began to sound in his head and he snapped his attention to it faster than he had ever reacted before.

The door wasn't fully closed.

He wasn't sure why, but his heart was hammering in his chest as he yanked the door open and all but ran down the stone steps. Each step down weighing heavier and heavier on his shoulders but he dismissed it as his Guardian instincts playing up. He'd thought they had settled by now, but clearly he was wrong.

Three more steps and he couldn't help thinking that maybe Skull had taken their Sky upstairs after all. There was no reason for them to have come down here in the first place so why was he jumping at shadows? Surely if he checked the boy's room he would find the two of them playing around in the bath. No need to be paranoid.

As he thought this through, his steps began to slow and, just as he was about to turn back, the faintest flicker of Sky Flames brushed against his Sun and he froze. That pure burst of Harmony was enough to clear his mind and a flush of cold realization made his lips twist. Harry was down here, but something was trying to keep him away. That could _not _be allowed and, once he had reassured himself that the baby Sky was fine once again, he would be having _words _with the Mists of their set.

He came upon the two just as Skull was reaching out to the stone doors that they had found him collapsed in front of just a few days before. He was acting before he even had time to process that.

"Lackey!"

The word left his mouth without conscious thought, but he relaxed a little when the purple haired man stopped. Okay, now he just had to get them away from that damn door that was making his Flames _scream _inside his head. Only, that wasn't what happened.

Reborn wasn't too clear on _what _exactly had happened, but somewhere between attempting to catch his Sky's attention and the planned escape to the bathroom, something had gone horribly wrong and now the Hitman found himself walking cautiously into the unknown room. He blamed it on the puppy eyes, they were _lethal._

The room itself was almost empty or, that was what his Flames were telling him. Normally he made an effort to keep them out of the visual spectrum, flaring canary yellow was probably the _worst _way to go incognito, but now he couldn't help but letting them bleed out. To his surprise, the bright yellow was soon joined by a softer orange as the boy in his arms flared as well. Watching the two shades interact, mixing together and breaking apart in some unknown dance, was mesmerising and, without even thinking about hit, he fed more of his Sun into it.

Strangely, even though the two of them were reaching the point of being human bonfires, he still wasn't able to make out much about the room other than an ancient stone floor and some blurred runes etched around their feet. Normally they would have intrigued him, but now, with the flood of Harmony that was currently coursing through him, it was hard to muster interest in anything else.

Still, this had been going on for too long now, Harry, though growing stronger every day, was still weak and expending this much energy through his Flames was not good for him. Slowly he began to withdraw his own, though when he started to pull away, the Sky gripped him tighter.

"Tesoro, you need to let go. You're going to make yourself sick if you continue."

Not to mention the fact that Reborn's arms were beginning to feel a little shaky where they were wrapped around the boy. If even _he_ was beginning to feel the drain, then he had to stop the boy, _now!_

"Harry, stop. You have to stop."

Something in his tone must have reached the child and the orange inferno began to fade. Not fast enough unfortunately as the next second saw him falling unconscious in his Guardian's arms. If the Hitman hadn't been able to feel the little puffs of air against his neck, he might have been far more panicked. As it was, all he could think about was getting out of there as soon as possible. And where was the Lackey? Why hadn't the Cloud followed them inside when he had seemed so reluctant to let them enter in the first place?

That question was answered when he finally managed to yank the door open and was immediately pounced on by the frantic civilian.

"Reborn, what happened? I felt your Flames flaring but I couldn't get in! I felt Chibi-chan's too is he-"

It took more energy that he would ever admit to, but he finally managed to place his free hand over the Cloud's mouth, silencing the panicked flood. To be perfectly honest, it probably wouldn't have even worked had the boy not noticed the unconscious toddler in his arm and gone straight to hysterics.

"I'm fine. He's fine. We're just tired. Let's get out of here."

Not the most eloquent of statements, but he was honestly beyond caring at this point. All he could think of now was his bed upstairs and the thrumming warmth resting against his chest that promised a dreamless sleep. He would just have to clean his Sky up later, it was nap time now.

After a few moments of wide eyed staring, the Cloud finally seemed to come to the conclusion that he wasn't going to win this. Spinning on his heel, the Stuntman turned to make his way back up the daunting staircase. Reborn would have followed him had he not been distracted by the slight speck of light that glittered on the back of Skull's riding suit. Lazily tracking the source of the light, Reborn found himself blinking sleepily back at the door. Had the metal decorations always been such a burnished copper? He couldn't remember.

The slight shifting of the weight in his numbing arm was enough to draw his attention back to the sleeping child he was carrying and he turned away. They would sleep now, anything else could be dealt with later.


	18. Calm Before the Storm

**A/N: Hi guys, term has ended, so hopefully I can go back to more regular updates! A little more happens in this chapter and I hope that you guys enjoy this.**

**On a more serious note: I'm dedicating this chapter to a friend (Amu). She's having a bit of a rough time right now, so lets send her all of the good vibes!**

* * *

There was something wrong in this house.

They should have realised this much sooner, but in all honesty, they really hadn't spent all that much time here. From the first day, there had always been one thing or another to make them feel that their presence was better needed elsewhere. Considering the villa was the home of their Sky, they most definitely should have noticed something _wrong _with that. Unfortunately, it was only now that they were staring down at their exhausted Sun and near comatose Sky, that they really took note. That was _unacceptable._

When Reborn had first asked them to check on the Civilian, they hadn't really thought much of it. They had, of course, checked the Stuntman for anything that could be causing problems, but the boy's Flames multiplied so quickly that, by the time they had started looking, all traces had already been destroyed. The same could be said now that they were checking over the Hitman himself, but then, Sun Flames were second only to Storm when it came to sheer destructive power. Their Sky however, was a completely different matter.

Curled up in Skull's arms, the child looked even smaller than usual, but it was what they were getting from the boy's Flames that was making the Mist really seethe. Lingering around the edges of the happy amber strands was something that they couldn't quite place, it was moving far too quickly for them to identify, but whatever was causing it was making them feel sick. They didn't want it anywhere near Harry, that was for sure.

"You're pulling a face. Aren't they just tired?"

The Cloud's voice, uncharacteristically quiet in deference to their sleeping companions, was grating all the same, and with their instincts already on high alert, it was all they could do not to lunge at him. As it was, the only sign of their distress was the fact that their tone wasn't quite as flat as they usually preferred to make it, their words taking the place of knives to be flung at the undeserving civilian.

"Can't you feel it? There is something _eating their Flames. _That is _not _normal!"

Well, 'eating' was perhaps too strong of a word, but there were definite traces of their Flames being pulled from their bodies. From Reborn's retelling of events, they had both flared the minute they had reached the centre of the room, and to him it had felt like a natural reaction, but something must have caused it. They didn't know what, and it was driving them insane.

"EATING?! WHA-"

It was only quick thinking on the Mist's part that stopped the Cloud's shrieks from waking the Hitman beside them. Viper had first-hand experience of Reborn's temper when the man was woken up before he was ready, and it was not something they ever wanted to repeat.

"Unless you want a bullet lodged somewhere extremely unpleasant, I'd stop talking. Now!"

It was only once they had received a nod from the suddenly pale Stuntman that they released the cobra they had created as a gag. Or, at least, that had been the plan. The minute they attempted to release their hold on the construct, the muted Sky Flames had surged forward, keeping the illusion solid even without their help. What?

The two of them could only watch in stunned silence as the snake, purposely small so that it wouldn't suffocate their target, slowly unravelled and made its way down the teen's arms and down to the toddler resting in them. When it pressed its face close to their Sky's, the two of them tensed, but thankfully, it soon lost interest, moving away to coil on his chest like a scaled blanket.

Losing control of a construct was not something they had ever experienced before, but after checking to make sure that there was nothing going on that would threaten their Sky, they ultimately dismissed it as unimportant, the presence chewing on the child's Flames was a far more immediate problem.

"Yes. There is something in that room that is drawing out Flames. I need you to tell me just what exactly you noticed while you were down there."

The Cloud blinked at them in shock for a moment before shaking his head like a dog and refocusing. At least that was one think in Skull's favour.

"I don't remember much. I just know that there's something weird down there and Chibi-chan was determined to go in. Reborn was trying to get us to move away, but when he got close to the door, I think he got caught up in it too 'cause he just took the kid right in."

That was certainly worrying. Prior experience with this particular Harmony had proven that the Sun was the most protective of them towards the child, something Viper theorised was due to the strength of their Flames aligning with their susceptible to Sky Attraction. If there was anything they would have deemed completely impossible from the Chaos magnet, it was purposefully taking their Sky into a potentially dangerous situation. The implications of that were… unsettling to say the least.

"And once you went into the room?"

"I don't know, I couldn't follow them in. The minute I tried it was like an invisible barrier came up and then the door slammed closed. It wouldn't open again until Reborn came out with Harry.I did feel their Flames flaring inside, though it wasn't as strong as he described it, I thought maybe it had something to do with the walls? Can stone do that?"

Technically, yes. Create a wall thick enough out of a porous stone and you would be able to completely dampen any Flame signature. This was actually the principal behind some of the panic rooms they had discovered in some of the older Famiglia compounds, but those walls would have to be at least a meter thick for even the average Flame user. Reborn was far from average, and that door was nowhere near up to the task. More likely:

"Not this stone. The room must be draining the Flames for a reason, it's using them for something. Did you notice anything change while you were down there?"

There was a light of realisation in Skull's eyes and Viper felt a sinking feeling in their stomach, they were pretty sure that they didn't want to hear what was coming.

"Now that you mention it, I thought I was imagining things, but the door looks cleaner now than it did before. Does that count?"

So the room was using their Flames to restore itself, though that brought up the question of what it was repairing itself _for._ They were going to have to go and look at this for themself weren't they?

"Possibly. Stay here and I will go and investigate."

Order given, they didn't really see any reason to wait for a response, the certainly weren't expecting the gloved hand that landed on their shoulder, causing the muscles to freeze up all at once.

"Viper…"

The hand didn't move from their shoulder and the feral beast of their instincts was snarling. If there was one thing they would not tolerate, even from a fellow Element, it was contact. That was not likely to change any time soon.

"Skull. Either remove that hand from my person or _I_ will."

Less than a second later, the offending appendage was gone and they were able to relax again. Despite the Cloud's contrite expression, they still drifted closer to the door, it was better to eliminate the possibility entirely than to risk it happening again.

"Okay, no touching. But Viper, please be careful down there. If there really is something going on in that room, you really shouldn't go in alone. Take someone with you… please?"

Viper's instincts snarled at the perceived order, but once they met that concerned violet gaze, their ire died away. How long had it been since someone had looked at them like that? Skull really was not suited for their world. Still, taking back up was probably the more intelligent choice.

"Acceptable. I will take Fon."

This time when they went to leave the room, the Cloud didn't try to stop them.

Was it strange that there was something in the Mist that was disappointed by that?

* * *

Fon had been carefully working through his katas when Viper had found him. Although normally he would have done this at dawn when he was able to revel in the peace of nature waking for the day, and indeed he had already done them once, but sometimes it was more difficult to find his 'eye' than others and in those cases, the mindless activity helped. He was just imaging how satisfying it would be to feel the ribcage of his Sky's former guardian collapse beneath his palm, when a slight shift in the air alerted him to the Mist's presence.

"Viper."

He didn't turn round, simply relaxing out of his final stance and allowing his breathing to even out. Yes it may have been slightly petty, but he was sure that his eyes would still be scarlet beacons and his Flames were surging beneath his skin. He wasn't sure he would be able to look at his fellow Element without losing control and forcing the Information Broker to just. Give. Him. An. Address.

"Fon. I need your help."

Well that was new. While Viper wasn't as prideful as some of the others in this set, it was still something he had never expected to hear from any of them. The shock of the statement was almost enough to make him face the other, but instead he turned his attention to stretching out his muscles.

"I'm listening."

He could practically taste the spike of irritation from the illusionist, but he managed to suppress the smirk that wanted to make its way onto his face. He had a reputation to uphold after all.

"Mou… There is a room in the basement that is causing problems."

"What a strange way to address Verde's obsession. Are you wanting to stage an intervention?"

He could tell that the Esper had finally lost patience when a tree root reached up to wrap itself around his wrist, dragging him round to face the Mist. Hmm, and here he'd thought it would take longer.

"No, the other room."

Other room? As far as Fon was aware, there was nothing other than Verde's lab in the basement of the Villa. He had been there enough times to deliver food or force the Lightning into acknowledging his limits as a living being. Had Skull put Viper up to this?

Obviously reading the confusion from his non-expression, the Mist clicked their tongue. A part of Fon was ridiculously smug about that.

"A few days ago, Skull found a hidden room in the basement. We don't know where it came from, but it appears to be draining Flames to fix itself."

Were they trying to convince him that they had found a sentient room? The Storm was fairly sure that he had hidden the key to the liquor cabinet in a spot where it wouldn't be found, but perhaps it could be worth checking, just in case.

"He's a civilian, he probably scared himself and is now attempting to rationalise it. Give him some space and he'll calm down."

If the Mist was going to continue spouting nonsense, then he had no reason to stay and listen. It only took a thought for his ever ready flames to do away with the restraining root. He was turning to make his way deeper into the forest where the others wouldn't be able to disturb his meditation. He never got the chance as the next words out of Viper's mouth made his blood turn to ice.

"It's not just Skull, the room got Reborn and Harry too. There's something chewing at their Flames to the point that they're both unconscious upstairs and it came from that room!"

Well that was a completely different matter, although the Sun was liable to pull something like this, he wouldn't include their little bird and Viper probably wouldn't play along, meaning that this was real. If that was the case, then the decision was simple.

"Then what are we waiting for."

Surprisingly, there was another door that Fon had never noticed before which, considering his numerous visits, was suspicious. All the same, the two of them continued down the steps in silence, both of them too high strung to force a conversation. About half way down the staircase, the Mist froze.

"Do you feel that?"

Honestly, no. Fon couldn't feel anything other than the agitated Flames of the other bleeding out in the air around them. That being said, he had been surrounding himself with a thin layer of his own Storm since they had found the door. If there was any sort of Mist suggestion trying to influence them, it would be disintegrated before it ever reached him.

"What is it?"

The other only stared at him for a second before their hand twitched and he got the distinct impression that the other was scowling at him.

"There is something here that is trying to stop us from continuing. Both physically and by suggesting that there is something else we would be better off doing."

"Interesting. Let's ignore it."

Before the Mist could pout at him again, he allowed his Flames to reach out and cloak the other. It was not something he had ever thought to do before, but shielding his fellow Element was almost instinctual.

It was only now that the illusionist straightened up that he realised how much they had been bent by whatever was attacking them. The hooded figure nodded their thanks, and the two of them quickly made their way to the bottom of the steps, only to find that they were not the only ones getting curious.

"Verde, did Viper call you down here as well?"

The scientist was crouched down, examining something at the bottom of the stone door, though what he could find interesting with the polished copper swirls, Fon couldn't fathom. At his greeting however, the Lightning soon straightened up, glasses flashing ominously in the half light.

"Viper? No. Blondie mentioned discovering an interesting room down here and after my equipment detected power surges from this location, I decided to investigate."

"So Colonnello found it too. With us this makes a complete Sky set of Flames."

The Mist's words sent a chill down his spine, but now he was really beginning to wonder what all of the fuss was about concerning this specific room. If it was, as the Illusionist had proclaimed, stealing their Flames, was it possible that it was calling them all down here to complete the set? But that only raised the questions of _how _and _why? _When he felt his fingers begin to twitch, the Storm purposefully deepened his breathing. Now was not the time to be reckless.

"What do we do now then?"

His quiet question seemed to snap the other two out of their thoughts, but did little to break the tension. Verde had backed away, moving closer to the door and further away from them, but Fon couldn't blame him. The man still wasn't over their decision to go behind his back when sealing their Sky and, while he was consenting to work with them for the sake of their promised funding, it was obvious that he did not trust them anymore. That was a problem that would have to be dealt with eventually, but now was neither the time nor the place.

After ten minutes passed of the others just glaring at each other, Fon gave the whole thing up as a bad job, if there really was something causing problems in that room, then standing around outside the door wasn't going to help anyone.

His sudden movement seemed to startle the others, but they made no move to stop him as he approached the ancient looking door, Verde even going so far as to flinch away from the hand he had raised to push it open. Curiously enough, the stone actually felt warm and smooth beneath his fingers, but he didn't dwell on it. Most likely Verde had been doing something to 'test' the door which had inadvertently warmed it. The next second, he crossed the threshold, only to be greeted by complete darkness.

No, not quite.

At the far side of the chamber, just to the left of where he was facing, there was something that looked like a stone tablet, but it was too far away from him to read. That was a problem that was easily solved however, there weren't even any obstacles in his path.

He was so focused on the tablet that he failed to notice the other Elements following him in, or the door slamming shut behind them.

The chamber was small enough that it didn't take too many steps in order to reach the source of his intrigue. Unfortunately, it appeared that the tablet had been overgrown with moss at some point, but when he reached out to clear it with a red tinged hand, he was stopped by a sharp tugging on his sleeve.

"This room _eats _Flames remember? Don't use yours unless you have to."

And with those hissed words, something in Fon snapped and he realised just what he had been doing. Why was he so focused on something like an old stone tablet that he probably wouldn't even be able to read? Abruptly, his focus broadened once again and he was able to take in the room as a whole. What first caught his attention was the fact that the only things he could clearly see were the tablet and the other people in the room with him.

The one who had stopped him was obviously Viper, while Verde was back to examining the _closed _door. The two of them were practically silhouetted by the darkness which was _not natural_.

"A mistake, my friend. It won't happen again."

And it wouldn't. In his surprise at seeing the Scientist , he had dropped his cloak of Flames, but that was not something that he was going to forget again. Now however, he focused on keeping them as a layer just beneath his skin. If this room was trying to draw out their Flames, then he was not going to play into its hands any more.

Rather unsurprisingly, there really wasn't anything else of interest in the room. Well, not that he could see anyway.

"Verde, is there any way to get that door back open?"

He was starting to feel twitch again, and a twitch Storm was not good for anyone. The sooner they were able to get out of here, the better. That being said, the stone tablet was pulling his gaze back every few seconds and he was beginning to feel the strong desire to just _destroy _it. Whatever it was, it was trying to draw him in and Fon _hated _being controlled. Alas, burning the thing would once again require his Flames… what an irritating conundrum.

"No, from what I can tell, it's sealed shut."

"Sealed how? The door doesn't even have a lock?"

"It isn't even a door anymore. It's just another part of the wall!"

Ah, well, that would explain it.

"Viper, is there anything you can do?"

He waited a moment, but when there was no response, he turned back to the Mist who had lingered by the tablet. In the end, it was only the speed gained through years of gruelling training that saw him move across the room in time to prevent the hooded figure from touching the stone with a Flame wreathed hand.

"Viper, stop. You told me not to do that remember?"

For a second, the smaller figure struggled in his grip before seemingly coming to their senses and falling slack. Once that happened, Fon immediately dropped his hold, laughing lowly.

"Looks like I'm not the only one it's trying to trick."

Actually, now would probably be a good time to restore the cloak he had placed around the Illusionist, and place one around the Scientist too. There had been quite enough mind tricks for one day. Once the cloak was firmly in place, a far more difficult procedure now that he was attempting to keep the Flame leakage to a minimum, he felt Viper relax and could almost imagine a wry smile drifting across their face as they turned to face him.

"What is going on here? There are no Mist Flames present, the Abomination isn't here either. There is _nothing _in this room that could possibly be controlling us and yet…"

"And yet we are still being played. Curious thing, isn't it?"

Ah, there was the scowl he had learned to appreciate over the last few months of infrequent contact.

"Mou, I should charge you for getting us into this you hot-headed Storm!"

"If we survive this, then I might let you, you vindictive Mist."

Well, if he was going to be stuck in here for the foreseeable future, at least he had company to anno- talk to! Who knows what he might have done on his own, especially as melting the door down was beginning to look like an appealing option.

At the very least, now would be the _perfect _opportunity to get some _specific _information out of the Broker, and if he was reading the smirk on Verde's face right, he wasn't the only one to think so.


	19. Slip

**A/N: I honestly don't know what happened with this. I like Kawahira damnit! Still, a few answers about the room in this chapter, more will be in the next. I'm sorry for stringing you along for so long with this story arc, but I hope you enjoy it all the same!**

* * *

Verde had, of course, been completely aware of the second door in the basement, he had been the one to explore the building while the others ran through the woods in search of their Sky after all. From the very first day they had been in the villa, he had known of the door's existence, he just hadn't cared. He hadn't even needed to get all the way down the hidden staircase before the sour scent of wine told him of exactly what he would find down there and since he had no interest in some ancient wine cellar, he had returned to the fully stocked lab instead.

After that, with the mess that had occurred with their Sky and the research binges that had been necessary, the room had fallen to the back of his mind to the point that he didn't even register it anymore. He had no reason to, until Colonnello stumble into his lab muttering stories of a room that ate his Flames before promptly passing out on one of the open medical beds.

He had never heard of a room that absorbed a person's Flames before, how intriguing. Unfortunately, when he had gone to examine the place for himself, he had been forced to dodge back into his lab at the sight of the purple haired menace heading down there himself.

Verde hated loud people. He hated Clouds for their unpredictable actions. More than that, he hated those who would abuse his trust. Skull ticked all three of those boxes and with his instincts still riding high from their recent bonding, he had chosen to retreat before he might do something he would regret later. When the next morning came, they were all shepherded into the kitchen to be informed of their _heist _ and the room was forgotten once again. Right up until the moment that sensors he only vaguely remembered setting started wailing in his ear and brought it all flooding back.

Still wary of getting into time wasting fights with the other Elements, he had silenced the alarms and moved to the barely open door of his lab where he watched for whoever would emerge from the hidden staircase. When he saw that it was Reborn looking like he had lost a fight with a bear, he had almost grinned, right up until he saw the fragile, too still figure in his arms.

At first, Verde had only been mildly intrigued as to the contents of the room, now he was incensed and more determined than ever to unravel its secrets. Blinded by this sudden surge of determination, he all but threw himself down the steps as soon as the coast was clear. He would not allow himself to be distracted again.

The door he found was old, hand carved from the granite of the surrounding walls, but fashioned in a way he couldn't quite fathom. The angle of the cuts said manual work, but at the same time, the edges were too smooth, the grain too uniform for this to be the case. Even taking into account the obvious age of the room, the chances of the door to erode to this state were infinitesimally small.

Then there were the decorations. Copper, burnished to the point that it glowed, and warm to the touch. If he hadn't seen the state of the others as they left, he might have thought that they had spent the last few hours scrubbing them clean. That was impossible however, they had been gone from the kitchen barely any longer than he had, and the heat would not have been retained like this given the much cooler ambient temperature of the stairway.

Curiously enough, when he bent to get a closer look at the metal, he was able to make out partially preserved finger prints along the handle, four distinct sets, one much smaller than the other three, if he was not mistaken. All of them were out of place when considering the newly polished appearance of the metal itself. It was not possible to clean it so brightly yet preserve the prints perfectly, especially as their surroundings were equally as well cleaned. Which suggested that the finger prints were not there of natural causes.

Testing this hypothesis, he slipped a vinyl glove on one hand before reaching for the hand. The second he made contact, the Scientist felt a jolt like static electricity that looped around his Flames, forcing him to jerk his hand away reflexively. No matter, he had achieved what he had set out to, laying amidst the other prints was now a complete fifth set, another impossibility given the gloves and the fact he had only touched it with one finger. Curious.

There were many other tests he would have loved to conduct right then, but when he had gone to retrieve the necessary equipment from his lab, he had been unable to move more than three steps away from the door before he had encountered some form of invisible barrier. That was not what he had been expecting, but given the story he had heard of the room eating Flames, it was possible that it would attempt to keep him here until it had got what it wanted. Needless to say, Verde had been more than willing to wait the thing out, testing just how far it would go in its manipulations, only to be interrupted by the arrival of the Storm and Mist of this set.

Now he was sealed inside the room. This was not what he had intended at all.

Ignoring the interactions of the nuisances for now, he turned his attention back to the doors, intent on examining them from this new angle, only to find that the pen light he carried in his lab coat had little effect on the darkness of the room. While he could still make out the shape of the doors, it was impossible to examine any of the finer details, even when he had the torch a mere inch from them. Conclusion: the darkness was not normal. Nothing about this room was.

The scent of wine he had noticed on the first day was still there, clinging to the back of his tongue in a manner that made him mildly nauseous, yet there was no reasonable source for it. The way that the sounds of flesh striking flesh echoed around the room suggested that they were in a completely enclosed space, yet he could _feel _the play of a gentle breeze across his skin. A breeze that couldn't seem to decide what direction it wanted to go in, constantly flipping like… breathing.

With a sinking feeling in his gut, Verde reached his gloved hand for the door once again, pressing it flat this time and leaving it there. Not a second later and he was pulling it away again.

That had been a heartbeat.

The room was alive?

Fully aware of who he was now trapped with, and the abilities that the pair boasted, the Scientist quickly, yet discreetly, ran a current of lightning across the synapses in his brain. A risky manoeuvre for anyone without the requires knowledge and control, but it would be enough to disrupt any illusion that the Mist had attempted to trap him inside. Once more he placed his hand against the wall.

Santa Maria, just what was going on here?

Taking a moment to centre himself, Verde finally realised that the sound of fighting had died off behind him and, when he turned to face the others, he was mildly amused to find that Fon had Viper pinned in a rather humiliating headlock. If only this had occurred in his lab where there were surveillance cameras running at all times in case he wanted to watch a result from alternative angles.

"If you two are quite done."

Despite the darkness of the room, his heightened senses were able to pick up the faint dusting of red that spread across the Storm's nose, and the furious pout that was quickly hidden as the Mist yanked themself to their feet.

"I have found a bigger problem for us to contend with."

He could, very easily, have continued that thought and simply told them what he had discovered, from the brief flash of red in hazel eyes, it was clear that they others knew that too, but he didn't. Once before they had elected to ignore his advice, now he was going to ensure that they _recognised _that he was the one with the answers. He was going to make them _ask. _

"And?"

The Storm was impatient, a rare feat from what he had observed of the other, but it wasn't enough. Not yet. Still staring the martial artist down, he simply tilted his head to the side, waiting for one of them to ask the question they should have asked _weeks _ago. Eventually, they did.

"What did you find?"

"Two things: One, against all logic, this room appears to be alive. Two, I have a plan that has a 58.2% chance of getting us out here."

And he had, the fact that the idea had only come to him just then as he had been staring the other two down was irrelevant. Of course, it seemed like the simpletons were only able to digest one thought at a time, so that was even better, he had time to refine it now.

"What do you mean its' _alive_ that isn't possible!"

Which is exactly why he said it went against logic but then, he already knew that they had trouble listening to him. Instead of brining that up and starting another pointless argument however, he merely gestured towards the door. He needed them closer anyway.

"The air flow in this s_ealed _room appears to emulate the circular breathing of a mammal and you can feel a faint pulse from the stone of the doors if you leave your hand there long enough. Feel free to check if you don't believe me."

Of course they moved closer, wanting to test for themselves exactly as he had expected them too. Once they were finally within arm's reach, Verde took a small step back to hide the movement of his hand slipping into his pocket. This particular act was one had had plenty of practice with over the years.

"You're not lying. How is that possible?"

Now wasn't that the question? There would be time enough to deal with that however, but only once they had removed themselves from this situation. He had just about reached the limits of what he would be able to test with just his senses and Flames alone, he needed his equipment, and now that he had a valid theory for getting out of here, he had no desire to waste any more time.

"That is what I intend to find out, but first, I have a plan for getting us out of here."

That caught their attention, finally. Despite the careful way the two were holding their Flames, Verde clearly felt the spark of attention that lit up in them, but he didn't allow that to get any further. Before either of them could even start to turn back in his direction, he snapped the pistol out from his pocket and fired off two shots in quick succession.

The next second, a cool hand was crushing his wrist to the point he was forced to drop the gun and the room was filled with a triad of furious Flames.

"WHAT THE _HELL_ DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?"

Ah, so it looked like his plan worked after all. The scientist couldn't help but smirk at that. They hadn't even noticed that the shots had gone wide.

* * *

Kawahira was just about done with these monkeys, all of them. In the millennia that he had been administering the Tri-ni-sette, not once had he encountered humans who caused him half as many problems as the new Arcobaleno, and he had dealt with _Bermuda Von Veckenschtein!_

If it wasn't the Pacifiers throwing tantrums, it was a fatally injured baby Sky.

If it wasn't that, then it was a baby Sky that had no right to even be alive with what was going on with his soul.

It was the Elements attempting to s_eal _their Sky.

Someone else already having sealed a broken soul in said Sky.

_Harmonising with said Sky. _

Territorial Mists.

Temporarily disappearing Elements.

Interfering, rejected Sky candidates.

And now… _this_. Whatever the Earthling had done to annoy the Fates so much, he could honestly say that he was repenting now.

Once more he had been locked in the office of his store, searching desperately through books he had already torn through mere months before in an effort to find _some _form of alternative that didn't involve sacrificing his Sky for the fate of the world _again. _With every book he tossed aside, he felt the heavy feeling behind his eyes grow worse but he kept going. He honestly couldn't afford to stop this time, no matter the numerous sources that kept repeating the same line:

Once the pacifiers chose their host, only death would make them reconsider.

Needless to say he had already been in a foul mood when the Mist tags he had placed on two of the new set, tags that would only activate when the being they were bound to was placed in mortal peril (yes, it was an Earthling baby-sitting ward, but there had been no evidence yet to suggest that these humans didn't _need _a babysitter) started wailing.

A thought was all it took to follow the pull on his Flames to some underground vault, a vault he didn't get much chance to examine as a split second later he was forced to disarm the sociopathic Lightning who had just attempted to murder his fellow Elements. (Really? He had thought for sure that it would be the Sun who snapped first, maybe one of the Rains. Not once had he seen this coming… that was not the point right now.)

Bringing all his fury to bare on the green haired man in front of him was easy, restraining that fury when the man proceeded to smirk at him, not so much.

"I theorized, given the timing of your intervention when we went to seal our Sky, and the vested interest you have shown at keeping a full set, that you would have some way to track whenever we were in life threatening situations. If I was to construct such a situation then, you would be compelled to return to avert the danger meaning that you would come to us. As you are here, I believe that I was correct."

That… actually, given what he had observed of the Lightning in the months before he was chosen, this wasn't all that surprising The Scientist was frighteningly logical in his reasoning, often to the point that emotions were deemed irrelevant. Given the acid green glow that surrounded the Lightning now however, it was clear that fear, at least, was one emotion that he hadn't been able to remove entirely.

A vicious snarl echoing from behind his shoulder was enough to bring Kawahira out of his thoughts, and the feeling of a raging Storm and seething Mist immediately made him refocus on the current situation. Having a mental breakdown over the stunted social skills of the Arcobaleno could wait, right now he would have to focus on keeping them all alive long enough to fully bond with the Tri-Ni-Sette.

"There are easier ways to get my attention, ways that don't include the attempted murder of your Team mates. What do you need me for anyway?"

Given that the other two still appeared to be enraged beyond the capacity for human speech, he really shouldn't have been surprised that it was the Lightning that gave him a reply, even if it did come with the sudden need to punch the human through a wall.

"The others found a hidden room in the basement of the villa, one that appears to consume Flames. While I was attempting to investigate, those two managed to get us sealed inside, assumedly until the room can draw out enough of our Flames that it decides to release us. Given your ability to appear and disappear on a whim, I figured that you would be our best chance of leaving without feeding whatever is in here."

Right.

Of Course.

Of course there was a sentient room.

Of _course _it ate Flames.

_Of course they managed to get themselves sealed in a Flame eating room where they were all flaring wildly right now!_

Why had he ever expected anything else?

Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to relax his hold on the Lightning while, at the same time, attempting to draw his Flames back into his body. Now that he was focusing on it, he could just about feel the faint tugging on his Mist that made it slightly more difficult to pull them back, but he managed. By the looks of the humans around him, they weren't finding it quite so easy.

Obviously, whatever reason they had wanted to leave without giving the room their Flames was a moot point now, given how wildly they were flaring it would be a wonder if they weren't approaching serious Flames exhaustion in the new couple of minutes. They didn't seem to be able to stop themselves from continuing however, and that combined with some of the other things they had said was concerning… as well as slightly familiar in a way he couldn't quite place.

First of all, there shouldn't have been a 'hidden room' in the basement. This was a mansion that had long been used as the base for each incarnation of the Arcobaleno, a base that Kawahira formatted himself every time so that it was suited for its new inhabitants. The only room in the basement had been many things from a shooting range, to a bomb shelter, and most recently a lab but again, that was the _only _room below ground level in the villa.

And what the _hell _was that about sentient rooms? If he didn't know any better, he would have assumed that it was…

He never managed to complete that thought as, in that exact second, the Flames of the humans around him died out, plunging them back into darkness or, at least, it would have, had glowing veins of white light not started to spider web out across the floor.

Now this was beginning to look very familiar.

Following the growing trails of blinding white as they spread, the Earthlings eyes were soon drawn to the central podium of the room, a podium whose sides began to flash through the rainbow at sickening speeds, bringing to mind one of the last trips he had ever taken with his parents, a trip where he had gone to visit one of the Earthings' memory archives. But those archives had been destroyed eons ago, the knowledge of how to make them lost.

Apparently not.

Cautiously, he began to approach the podium, the command centre, only to freeze in place when an achingly familiar figure began to form, washed out and practically colourless, but a shape so dear that he would have known it anywhere.

Short, teal hair held back by a voluminous white hat. Almond eyes of shocking blue highlighted by the yellow tattoo beneath the right. A gently curved nose and soft cupid's bow pulled up slightly in a rueful smile.

Kawahira could practically feel his heart shatter as a name long hidden but never forgotten was torn in a whisper from his petrified lips.

"Sepira?"

He wasn't sure if he wanted to lunge forward to hold her tight or throw himself backwards, so scared that if he even breathed too heavily then the image would fade. The two conflicting desires kept him locked in place, so he had the perfect view of that serene smile falling away to be replaced by painful understanding as a translucent hand reached out to brush a frozen streak across his face.

"Oh Dear One, I only wish that I were."


	20. Winds of Change

**A/N: wow, this chapter didn't want to be written. I'm going to apologise now as there's a lot of talking in this one and I normally try to avoid writing dialogue. Still, it does push the plot on quite a bit, and starts to bring in one of my favourite characters. I hope you all enjoy!**

**Also, Happy New Year from the UK. I hope you all have a good one!**

* * *

He couldn't breathe. The burning in his chest was a constant reminder that he _needed _to but each attempt just turned into a choked gasp that helped no one. He just...

Sepira…

How long had it been since he had last seen her face outside of his own memories, outside of his dreams? Too long, yet looking at her now, it felt like he could have waited another thousand years and he still wouldn't have felt ready for this moment.

And then her words registered and it felt like his heart breaking once again. The old, shattered remains of his Guardian bond were shards of ice in his very _soul_.

It was too much.

He couldn't do this.

He couldn't…

The edges of his vision were beginning to blur into darkness when a small spark lit in his chest, his newest bond flaring into prominence before flooding him with warmth strong enough to send him to his knees. It chased away the chill and allowed his sight to return just in time to see the concerned emerald eyes of his newest Sky flood with concern as they stared up at him.

The next thing he knew, tiny arms were wrapping around his neck and he practically melted into the hold, relishing in the promise of _home _they so innocently offered.

"Santa?"

There it was, the silly little name that this baby Sky had given him. It was such a small thing, but it helped to ease the tightness in his throat to the point that he could finally breathe, arms coming up of their own accord to hold the child even tighter to his chest. It had been so long since _anyone _had held him like this, he could forgive himself for being a little selfish right now. Still, there was one more thing that had been lost to the sands of time, and it was about time that he thought to reclaim it.

"Kawahira, Little One. My name is Kawahira."

Normally he wouldn't have dared, not with the members of the Arcobaleno standing close enough to hear, not when it was easier to just be the nameless figure that they could all unite in hating. Easier to just play the villain, to take the fury and death threats instead of allowing himself to grow attached only to lose them to the curse that _he _had laid upon them.

He had tried this only once, when the weight of an eternity left alone had grown too much to bear. He would never repeat such a mistake again, or, at least, that was what he had promised himself. And then there was this innocent little Sky who came in an tore through his defences like they weren't even there…

"You 'kay?"

The words were meant for him alone, despite the way he could feel the Flames of the others gathered around them. The child had whispered so quietly that, had his mouth not been pressed just below the Earthling's ear, the question would have been impossible to decipher. Unable to answer right then, he simply held the boy even tighter, but that was fine, his Sky understood.

Kawahira wasn't sure exactly how long he remained hidden in the Sky's embrace, drowning as he was in centuries of repressed pain, but he was jolted back to reality when a large, slim fingered hand fell onto his free shoulder. At first, the contact had him tensing up expecting an attack but when, after a few seconds, none came… he looked up, bewildered indigo eyes meeting a surprisingly warm black and… he froze.

As tough sensing his discomfort, the Hitman simply sighed before moving the hand to tilt down his fedora instead. Hiding his eyes to show his own unease at the situation.

"Harry sensed your distress and dragged us all down here. Obviously this room means something to you but if you keep hiding away you'll never be able to change anything. Tell us what's going on in that head of yours."

Was that… genuine concern from the Sun?

Sure, it was a well known fact that Sun's were protective and the ones who generally cared for the wellbeing of those in their set, even the inverted ones like Sinclair, but Kawahira had never expected to truly be accepted as a member of this Harmony. Finally looking away from the child he was all but suffocating in his arms, he was further shocked to find that the other's had formed a loose protective ring around them.

This was… no one had ever attempted to protect him like this before… was this the power of a completed Harmony? In the past he had only been a lone Guardian, none of the other Earthling Elements had been strong enough, either that or they simply hadn't been interested in bonding with a Sky as young as… Sepira!

Surrounded by the supportive (if still slightly hostile from a certain Mist) Flames of his fellow Elements, Kawahira finally built up the courage to face the apparition before him, and now that he was looking closely, he could see the clear signs that he had missed.

The washed out colouring. The slightly fixed feeling to the bitter sweet expression on her face and, most damning of all, the absence of her Flames in the small chamber. She was simply a holographic projection of the archive interface. An echo of a memory of a dream that… maybe he didn't have to cling to anymore. None the less…

"Sepira, my sun, my moon, my stars. It's… good to see your face again."

* * *

When the others had first gone charging past the kitchen where he and Lal had been cleaning up, Colonnello hadn't known what to think. Correction, he hadn't really been thinking at all. One moment he had been attempting to stack the serving plates into a semi-stable pile and the next a wave of sheer emotional _agony_ had swept through his chest. For a second, his eyes had flashed to where his partner was sorting ingredients back into cupboards, but no sooner had he confirmed that no; she wasn't the source of this and yes; she had felt it too, than the others had raced down the stairs with no care given for silence. Now that was concerning.

Leaving the cleaning had been a no brainer, and as one, the two of them had followed after Skull, Reborn and the kid as they made their way down the stairs to Verde's lab. Maybe the Scientist had finally gone too far with one of his experiments and inflicted some serious harm on himself?

But they didn't stop there.

When they had first moved towards the second set of stairs, Colonnello had hesitated. The last time they had gone down there, he had been trapped in a room that flashed memories of his Step-Father so quickly and vividly in front of his eyes that he had instinctively lashed out with his Flames. After that, it had been all he could do to struggle his way back upstairs and crash in the bed next to Lal's soothing presence. He really did not want a repeat of that experience, but the other's weren't stopping…

Thanking his military training, he had pushed back his fears and followed them down into the abyss of whatever was waiting for them. One hand toying with the small combat knife in his pocket while the other reached up to flip his hearing aid up to full volume, he had himself ready for any threat only… they didn't find one.

Instead of any sort of illusion, intruder or anything else his imagination could conjure to explain the frantic dash, they were instead greeted by a mostly empty stone room containing Fon, Verde, Viper and a weird glowing girl who could be the mirror image of the Giglio Nero Boss he had worked with six months ago. Oh, and the Man in the Iron Hat having a mental breakdown at the edge of the room. That was probably where the icy feelings along the bonds were coming from now that he thought about it. If the Soldier was being honest with himself, he had all but forgotten that the other Mist was actually part of their set.

While the rest of them were still processing all of the new information, their baby Sky had decided that it was a great idea to throw himself at the super creepy, not at all stable Mist and imitate an octopus in the way he attempted to cling to the man. When he had first processed the movement, Colonnello had attempted to stop the kid, he had been on enough missions that he knew what the signs of a panic attack looked like, and he had been around enough soldiers to realise that physical contact could invoke some pretty dangerous reactions, but when the man only moved to cuddle the kid, he let it go. Different people dealt with grief in different ways, he would be a hypocrite to judge someone else for their coping mechanisms.

Unfortunately, Colonnello had never been the best person for dealing with awkward silences, so while the others continued to stare at the spectacle that was their employer having a mental breakdown, he returned his attention to the current situation.

Given the fact that the only new element to the problem, other than the room itself which, while there was a very real probability that it _could _be the cause, was not something that he could _change,_ was the glowing woman that he had never seen before, he quickly decided that she was the most likely cause. After that, it was only second nature to move forwards just enough that he had slipped between the unknown and the vulnerable ally on the floor. From the slight sound of the wind shifting to his left, he knew without looking that Lal had moved to cover his six, just as she always had.

Slowly, the others seemed to pull themselves out of their thoughts and fell into a loose formation around the two on the floor. A defensive position that they didn't allow to break until the man behind them, Kawahira, finally managed to raise his head.

"Sepira, my sun, my moon, my stars. It's… good to see your face again."

Ah, so he did know the woman after all. That pretty much confirmed his idea of her being the cause and, given the way he was looking at her… yeah, Colonnello quickly began to feed a small strand of his Flames in the Mist's direction now that the Man's own had relaxed enough to read them as the comfort they were supposed to be instead of as a threat.

He had seen that look before on men who had lost everything. More recently, he had seen it on the faces of Guardians who were suffering from broken bonds. And given how spooked Kawahira had been after bonding with Harry, coupled with the way that the woman was quite clearly a projection of some kind… there was only one thing he could think of that would cause that reaction.

"You were bonded to her… and she died."

He hadn't meant to say it out loud. No matter what Lal might say about his emotional range, he knew full well that saying it like that was a dick move, but it had just slipped out. Flinching round to send the Mist an apologetic look (and to dodge the incoming slap) he almost chocked when he noticed that said Mist was reaching up and seeming to unfasten his mask.

Holy… wasn't that some sort of taboo for illusionists? Or had he and Lal just had the misfortune of coming across only the most paranoid of that Flame type?

Either way, none of them made a sound as Kawahira slowly removed the mask to reveal a face that Colonnello might have called young if it weren't for the expression of sheer exhaustion that twisted across it. Just what did you have to go through to do that to a person?

He wasn't sure he wanted to find out.

"Yes. Sepira died centuries ago. This is just a memory of her left behind to guard the archive. She won't respond unless you directly ask her a question."

Well that created many, many questions in the blonde's mind, but he bit back his tongue. Surprisingly, the time frame wasn't all that shocking to him. He had known from his first meeting with the Mist that something about the 'man' wasn't quite right. After Harmonizing, that feeling of him being 'off' had only grown stronger, but he hadn't consciously registered that until it was confirmed.

From the looks on the others' faces, or the ones he could see at least, it wasn't much of a surprise for them either. Sure, there was the initial flash of shock across their faces, or behind their eyes, but as they took the time to really _think _about it, they all seemed to come to similar conclusions. Subconsciously, they had all _known _it already, it had simply been confirmed now.

Verde, on the other hand, looked like he was about to start squealing with glee… and Dear God, that was not a mental image that would be going away any time soon, unfortunately.

"So you know what was happening with this room? And you're saying that your people had a way of preserving memories, centuries ago? How did that work? How many of these archives are there? Are any of them accessible?... No, of course not, or we would have found them already unless…"

Yeah, no.

One turn of a dial and the sound of the mad scientist's ramblings faded away into a pleasant buzz while still allowing him to process the reactions of those around him. Thankfully Verde was far enough away, and speaking quietly enough in his muttering, that it was possible to tune him out and still be able to hear the others. Small mercies and all that.

"Oh, for pity's sake. Give the man a break."

And there was his darling Lal, expressing her concern in what was probably the least compassionate way possible. Still, it did the job. Though maybe that was the sudden icy flare of Rain that flooded the room.

"Thank you Commander Mirch, but it's fine. From what I can tell, this is the last of the Memory Archives, all of the others broke down over time and the knowledge of how to make them was lost. Or, at least, I thought it was. It looks like Sepira was keeping secrets from me right until the end."

Ouch, there was that spike of pain again, though if this was really a wound that had been festering for _centuries _(and Colonnello was going to be trying very hard not to think about that, ever) then it certainly explained the depth to it.

Maybe it was the absolute sea of Rain Flames that were flooding the room, but it was scary how calmly they were all taking this.

"Mou…You were the one who arranged this place. How did you not know that it was here?"

That was a valid question. It was less noticeable since he had joined the group late, but there were definite traces of Mist Flames throughout the building. They had just assumed that the house had been personalised for their comfort since they were expected to remain there for the duration of their jobs. It was a nice gesture, even if it was a little creepy how much he seemed to know about them all.

"It wasn't here before."

"That is impossible. The law of Conservation of Mass means that things cannot simply appear out of nothing."

"Just as rooms can't be alive Verde?"

Well, that certainly shut the green haired man up, though now Colonnello really wanted to know what all that was about. Still…

"Then why would it appear now? And why did it have to drain us of our Flames in order to activate itself?"

And there was Reborn asking the real questions once again. At least it meant that he didn't have to put his foot in it this time.

"It is… possible that there are things about this house that even I don't know. It was left to the Arcobaleno by one of the Peverell founders. There have been rumours of rooms appearing and disappearing as they were needed by the inhibiters, but I never put much stock in them before."

Peverell? As in, the formerly extinct Family that their Sky was supposedly a member of? Either this was one hell of a coincidence, or someone was pulling strings somewhere. Normally he would have just assumed it was the first one, but with Kawahira confirming that there were more creatures tan just humans at work on the planet. Hell, the _Vindice _was enough to prove that. So why not some weirdo playing around with their lives like some characters in a story?

He was going to stop thinking about that now.

"Why now? And why this one"

"The Journal."

Of all the people he had expected to speak up, it hadn't been Skull. It was actually surprising how often the Cloud managed to fade into the background given his loud personality and look, but more often than not, they all seemed to forget that their second youngest member was even in the room with them.

"What do you mean Lackey?"

"er…. Bermuda mentions it in his journal. Did no one else read it?"

Honestly? No. The journal had just been something that they had been told to steal. It was supposed to be their 'announcement' to the world that their group had formed once again. There hadn't been a reason to actually read the damned thing. But apparently there had.

"Bermuda? Of course he did. He manages to find his way into all the places he shouldn't be."

Okay, was it just Colonnello or was Kawahira talking about this Bermuda like he was still alive? Was he another one like the Mist or something else?

"My friend, what did he say _exactly_?"

"It was in some pretty archaic German so it wasn't the easiest to read, but from what I could gather, the room appeared when he and his Storm, Jaeger, had been looking for a cure to what he calls the 'Fluch des Regenbogens' which I think means-"

"The Curse of the Rainbow."

No surprise that Viper was the one to translate it, still, the words alone were enough to send a shiver down his spine. It didn't take a genius to put together the fact that a complete Sky Set made a Rainbow of Flames. Add that to the fact that Kawahira had been doing everything possible to keep their set together.

There was almost no information to be found regarding Il Prescelti Sette.

"If this really was the place where they found their cure… it isn't one that you want to use yourselves."

Well, that confirmed the dark suspicions that had been whispering in his ear, and not in a good way. In the manner of seconds, Reborn had lunged forwards and pulled their Sky away from the traitor in their midst. For his part, Colonnello unsheathed his knife while cursing Lal's insistence that he left his rifle in their room. Not that it mattered, he barely had time to blink before Fon had the Mist caught in a vicious hold.

"And why is that? What have you done to us?"

"The Curse of the Rainbow, of the Arcobaleno, is as old as civilization itself. As for Bermuda… he is the founder and leader of the Vindice."

Off to his right, he just about heard the click of the hammer being pulled back on a high calibre handgun.

"Explain."

"Yes… that might be an idea, mightn't it."


	21. Into the Abyss

**A/N: Okay, so this was supposed to be up three days ago, but I literally had no energy to do anything for a little while. Anyway, this chapter turned out a lot darker than it was supposed to be, and I'm still not 100% happy with it, but I hope you guys enjoy it all the same.**

**TRIGGER WARNING: There is reference to a suicide in this chapter, though I have tried to keep it vague.**

* * *

They had all expected a trap when they had been given the offer. Personally, Renato had arrived to scout out the area a week in advance just to appease his paranoia, and it wouldn't have surprised him to learn that the others had done something similar. Even the Lackey had demonstrated at least the beginnings of tactical mind through some of the 'bonding activities' he had forced on the Cloud. The point was, they had checked _everything _that any of them could think of, frantically and with an intensity that had only doubled once they had brought their Sky into the situation. If there was anything harmful for them anywhere near the Villa, it would have been found, then promptly destroyed with extreme prejudice.

In their time here, they had found nothing, outside of the room they were currently gathered in, out of the ordinary, but this 'Curse of the Rainbow'… He didn't like it. What Renato didn't like often ended up dead, and right now, his aim was firmly fixed on this 'Kawahira'.

For a moment, the Mist blinked up at him in shock. From the lines around his mouth and the tenseness of his posture, it was clear that this conversation was taking its toll on the man, but he refused to feel pity for the one who had betrayed them all. Eventually, the last strand of restraint holding the man's tongue snapped and an explanation came pouring out.

"Dying Will Flames are not something that should have ever existed, they literally represent a hole in the fabric of reality and, if left alone, they will tear it apart. When my people, the Earthlings, realised this, we created a system that would help balance this and equalize the power levels into a stable form.

This system is made up of the magnetic leylines around the earth and is modulated by the Flames of our people, but when we began to die out, there wasn't enough of us left to keep this up, so some of our leading scientists created something called the Tri-Ni-Sette. 14 rings and 7 Pacifiers that stop all of reality from imploding.

Unfortunately, our numbers kept dropping due to some disease we knew nothing about, until Sapira and I were the only ones left to maintain the system. After that point, we had to start giving the Tri-Ni-Sette to humans in order to keep everything balanced. Eventually, we reached a point where the Pacifiers refused to bond with any Sky other than Sapira, and once the curse ran its course, I was the last one left."

His words choked off at that part, tears beginning to gather at the corner of his eyes that were now staring longingly at the projection in the centre of the room. The broken look on his face clearly broadcasting the pain of the broken bond he was remembering. Normally, Renato would have been more sympathetic about such a thing, but the Mist still hadn't answered the question, and as it concerned the Hitman's own Sky… that was not something he would ever let slide.

"And this 'Curse of the Rainbow'?"

Behind him, he could feel their baby Sky beginning to fidget in place, clearly feeling the desire to comfort his distraught Element. It wasn't a surprise; Harry had already shown a remarkable sense of empathy to them all, even by a Sky's standards. It wouldn't be the first time that a Sky was killed by a traitorous Element however, so there was no way that the Sun was going to let him past.

Thankfully, the second that the child looked like he was going to dash forward, Fon scooped him up, holding him close as Renato returned his attention to the man in front of him, twitching the gun in order to prompt the other back into speech.

"The curse is called the 'Curse of the Arcobaleno'… each part of the set has a part to play, and the pacifiers are the main power source. To do this however, they pull the energy of the Earth through their hosts via their Flames to purify it. This power overload means that the hosts have to be locked into the bodies of infants to stop the power from overwhelming them and to free up more of their Flames for the process."

It was, in a word, unbelievable.

Earthlings, leylines and the idea of a system that was keeping the entirety of reality in balance. Not to mention the Curse of the Arcobaleno and all that that implied. It sounded like something straight out of a b-list action movie. How on Earth did the Mist expect them to believe any of it.

Yet… hadn't there been a whole host of surprises since the first meeting?

The world's strongest Cloud being a civilian.

A second energy source that had almost killed their baby Sky.

A room that had consumed their Flames.

To be honest, Renato wanted to deny anything and everything that came out of the supposed 'Earthling's' mouth. If he didn't, it meant accepting the fact that he had been tricked, completely oblivious, into a situation that even he wouldn't be able to find a way out of. But Renato was an expert of cold reading. It was almost impossible for anyone to consciously lie to him and Kawahira… wasn't lying.

Not by his own knowledge anyway.

"So you gathered us here to subject us to a drawn out death for the 'sake of the greater good'. Your own _Sky _included?"

From the burning pricks in his eyes, the Sun knew that his eyes must be glowing with his fury at this point, but he couldn't bring himself to care. The very _idea _of harming the sweet, friendly child that had pulled them all into his orbit, it just didn't fit in his mind. He couldn't imagine any situation where he could ever condone the sacrifice of an Innocent, an innocent Sky no less, but here was Kawahira readily throwing the Sky he was _harmonized _with under the bus… and it wasn't hard to work out exactly what sort of fate was awaiting them at the end of this road. Flame burn out was a very slow, _extremely _painful way to die.

The Hitman hadn't thought that he could hate someone with every part of his being, but this was getting close.

Still hunched on the floor, the Mist didn't even blink. Dead eyes just remained fixed on the projection that was still hovering, completely forgotten in the middle of the chamber, a look of wretched pain across his face. Still, there was not nearly enough there.

The faintest twitch of his finger would have sent a bullet into the man's stomach, inducing a slow and painful death of his own, but his aim was jarred off course by a slim hand reaching out to grab his arm. An offence that would normally send him snarling at whoever decided to invade his personal space, but the sudden influx of Rain Flames kept him subdued. He was really beginning to dislike the other members of this Harmony.

"So, you're the last of your kind, meaning that the responsibility of upholding everything falls to you. What proof do you have of this?"

And there was Verde. If Renato hadn't seen him lose it the last time the time they had placed the seal on Harry, he would have thought that the Lightning had found a way to completely cut himself off from his emotions. He had certainly managed to eradicate them from his voice at that moment.

This was completely secondary to the death glare the Hitman was currently sending towards the two ex-soldiers who were _still _attempting to restrain him. Irritatingly enough, Colonnello even had a sympathetic look on his face, the traitor. Normally, he would have brought his Sun to bear and scorched the moron who was holding, but under a double dose of Rain, even he was struggling to do anything.

Not that he would forget this. The second they let go, he was going to have a nice long _talk _with them.

"What would you have me show you as proof?"

Unable to do much else, Renato was forced to listen instead and, unfortunately, that meant he automatically started considering he question. Just what sort of thing would convince him? It was such an unbelievable story that it would take a lot. And if this was how the Mist was going to try and explain his betrayal, then it better be pretty damn convincing.

"You said this was an archive, show us."

Of course, the one thing the Scientist was interested in was more information though… Reborn would be lying if he said he wasn't intrigued. He had recently started a quest to infiltrating every Mafia library in Europe when he had been offered an invitation to the meeting.

To have access to a bank of information that no one had even known _existed _for the last few centuries… It was a tempting thought, but not one that he was willing to indulge right then. Before he could redirect the conversation however, he was brought up short by a soft, yet insistent, tugging at his Flames. A tugging that was coming directly from his Sky.

Trusting the other Elements to at least be competent enough to watch the traitor, he slowly turned to look at the boy, a placating explanation on the tip of his tongue, but he never got to voice it. Instead, he was frozen completely in place by the sight of those verdant eyes glowing a brilliant orange for the first time.

Over the last few months, there had been times when he had thought there to be a slight hint of the child's Flames flashing through his eyes, though it was never more than a spark. He had written it off as the fantasies of a hopeful mind, but this made it clear. Their Sky had always possessed the ability to enter Dying Will Mode, this incident had just been the one to push him over the edge.

Given time, their boy would be _magnificent. _

But they didn't have time did they?

That sobering thought was enough to snap him out of his reverie and sent a chill down his spine. Overcome by the sudden need to reassure himself that his Sky was still there, was still well, he leant forward and snatched the boy into his own hold. He was silently grateful that Fon didn't attempt to stop him, though he did cringe at the thought of just what sort of face he must be showing to elicit such mercy in the Storm.

Burying his nose in the soft locks of his Sky and inhaling the familiar scent of the apple and milk shampoo that the boy adored, Renato was finally able to calm himself enough that yellow irises bled back into black and he was able to speak without a growl.

"What is it little one?"

"No!"

The order would have held little weight in such a quiet, high-pitched voice were it not for the fact that Harry had backed it up with a veritable flood of his Flames which, when coupled with the Rain already saturating his system, made the world swim before his eyes. It was only through strength of Will alone that the Sun was able to remain on his feet and avoid dropping the boy.

"Harry… he's trying to hurt you. You can't expect me to just let that go!"

Renato was a highly regarded, well feared killer who's very name could send enemies fleeing at just the whispers of the Hitman Reborn. He was currently filled with enough ire to send the Don's of all the largest Famiglias into a cold sweat, and was very keep to vent said ire. He was not _whining._

Unfortunately, his Sky was not impressed.

"You're 'urting him. Light's sad. Stop it!"

How the child managed to give the impression of folding his arms even as they were wrapped securely around the Sun's neck, he would never know. What he did know however, was that he was close to being Flame drunk from the sheer volume of them being thrown his way from four sides (Renato was well acquainted with the burn of Storm Flames targeting the adrenaline in his system and Fon was not as subtle as he like to think he was) and with his own Flames currently suppressed… never let it be said that the Hitman didn't know a losing situation when he saw one.

Slowly, he shifted the slight weight of his Sky over to one arm before smoothly re-holstering the gun that had still been pointed vaguely in the direction of the traitorous Mist.

He didn't let the boy down however, he might be willing to trust the judgement of the others for now, but he hadn't lived for as long as he had without a healthy dose of paranoia. Until he was 100% satisfied with the current situation, the boy would not be leaving his arms. That was a promise.

* * *

Skull… well, to be perfectly honest, Skull didn't know what to think, something that was becoming a worrying pattern since joining this group.

After the mad dash where they chased Harry back to the creepy room that had locked him out earlier, it had looked like they were finally going to get the answers to something, but no, now he had just been left with even more questions. If this continued, he would have to buy something to stop himself grinding his teeth into nubs.

The journal had been an interesting read, even if he hadn't been able to understand some of the more outdated words that Bermuda had used. Skull may have travelled through most of Europe during his youth, and had insisted on at least attempting to learn the language of where ever they had stopped, but he was in no way a scholar.

That being said, he was not an idiot, and some of the things that were being revealed in this conversation almost drove him to violence. As he watched the others react to the explanation of the curse, seeing Reborn's normally stoic face go ghost white, hearing Lal drop the gun she had never so much had fumbled before, Viper's bitten off hiss… he could only assume that there was something that he wasn't understanding there, and whatever it was, was bad news for them. That thought sent a burst of fury through him that jolted the beast that was his Flames awake, sending it prowling in his chest as it searched for an enemy to destroy.

Skull had been all set to turn that pent up rage on the one who had just admitted to being behind everything, but the second he actually looked at Kawahira… the rage died.

There was no one else alive who knew it, but once, long before he had ended up on the streets, Skull had had a brother. Not a blood relation, but a little boy he had met when the two of them had been place in the same foster home. Mihai was a good two years younger than Skull and, when their 'father' had turned violent, it had only been second nature to step in front of the younger boy.

It was in this home that Skull, Gabriel as he had been, had learned the value of a showman's persona. If he drew all the attention to himself by being loud and irritating, he was able to keep Mihai out of the line of fire. If Gabriel was mouthing off, then 'father' wouldn't notice the painting that had been torn by little hands…

Either way, Mihai had arrived at the home with a little , hand knitted robin that he had loved more than anything, the last present that his Mama had ever made him. In a fit of inspired cruelty, after the boy had attempted to tell a teacher about their situation at the home, 'father' had handed Mihai a knife and forced him to destroy it.

The look in the boy's eyes during and in the week after that event (until that glassy, broken stare was gone, along with everything else) was a memory that Skull had long attempted to suppress. He had left after that, only staying just long enough for the wake before going to take his chances on the streets. He had sworn that he would never have to see that look in another person's face…

Yet here it was.

From the grim set to Colonnello's normally smiling mouth and the resigned tilt of Fon's head… he wasn't the only one to recognise it either, and that alone made him nauseous.

This whole situation was screwed. Just when Skull had finally begun to settle into this eclectic group, just started to view the others as more than simple colleagues, the cat had to tear its way, screaming, out of the bag.

If they really were cursed, and that was something he was unfortunately willing to believe given all he had seen in his time here, then they were in a sucky position. If he had been reading the reactions of the others right, then that meant that they were probably going to die from this as well. So that was shit.

And Kawahira… from what he had said, he hadn't really had a choice either. This curse sounded really important, and they were just the poor smucks who had been chosen to bear it this time around. But how many times had the 'Earthling' been forced to enact it? To choose who exactly he was going to condemn to death, and then execute them?

No, Skull didn't particularly want to die. But if his choices were to die himself, or spend eternity having to choose sacrifices who he would then kill himself, having to watch them die in the name of the 'greater good' as Reborn put it… He knew which one he preferred.

The Stuntman wasn't even aware that he was shaking until a steadying hand landed heavily on his shoulder. He hadn't even noticed that Fon had moved closer to him though, in his defence, the edges of his vision had taken on a dark, hazy look.

"Breathe Skull. Deep breaths now."

Huh. Looks like he had been hyperventilating too. He hadn't had a flashback in years damnit. He thought he had been past this.

It was harder than it should have been to match his breathing to the exaggerated ones of the man in front of him, but eventually he managed, and his chest thanked him for it. After finally mastering his own reactions, he flashed a tired smile at the Martial artist.

"Thanks. That kind of… came out of nowhere."

"Think nothing of it, I think we are all struggling with this revelation."

He wasn't lying either. The others had all moved forward to gather around the glowing girl in the room, but even from the back he could tell that they were all moving far more stiffly than he had grown accustomed to. Seemed like they were all a little shaken, but then, who wouldn't be after being told about magic beings, magical systems that held reality in check and the magical blade hanging above their heads?

Looking around again in an effort to buy more time, he caught sight of Chibi-chan who was staring at him over Reborn's shoulder, eyes wide and glowing bright orange.

Sure. Things obviously weren't crazy enough today. Let's add in a toddler with glowing eyes and a baby flame flickering through his hair. Why not?

It took some doing, but Skull was finally able to tear his eyes away and was greeted by the sight of the rest of the group, Fon included, standing around the woman, looking at her expectantly, though none of them were speaking. From the gap left between Fon and Viper, it was clear that they were waiting on him, so Skull sucked in a deep breath, mentally prepared himself for an onslaught of even more weird to come, and stepped forward.

The second he took his place, he could practically feel the tension climb rapidly until Kawahira sighed, and cracked a weak smile at the still placidly smiling projection.

"Sepira. Could you show us the earliest memory in your archives, my dear?"

For a split second, Skull would have sworn that the woman's smile had turned just as pained as the man's, but in the blink of an eye it was gone, and the room around them faded into black.


	22. Fragments

**A/N: Sooooo... long time no see? Sorry this took so long to get out but this chapter really didn't want to be written. I'm still not happy with it so expect it to be redone at some point. Still, I'm going to push on with the story.**

**IMPORTANT: I've been trying to work out where I'm going with this and I'm thinking about taking this story through to 'the Fated Day'. After that, I might do either a series of oneshots that cover the school years before moving into the main timeline of the anime or one longer story that cover HP cannon. If any of you have anything you really want to see, let me know!**

* * *

"It can't be denied anymore. We have to do something now, while there's still enough of us left."

The voice was frail and tremulous as it drifted out of the darkness towards them. Soft though it was, however, it was still enough to make them shudder.

Ever since _that_ day, they had worked incessantly to ensure that they were the strongest in their field. To make sure that they would never be as weak to another Mist as their family had allowed themselves to be. For over a decade now, they had been all but immune to any and all attempts to trap them in every sort of illusion imaginable. It was their pride that they would _always _be able to tell. And yet…

No matter how many times they ran checks of their senses, there was not a single trace of foreign Flames in their system. No trace of a_nything _out of the ordinary. If they didn't already know that what they were being shown wasn't real, _couldn't _be real, there would be no way for them to have guessed.

It was deeply unsettling.

Despite their mental crisis however, the darkness continued to recede, presenting their group with the image of two young children playing by the side of a fire. Other than the pair, a blue haired girl and a boy who looked unmistakeably like Kawahira, the room was… fuzzy almost. It seemed as though the two of them were the only ones in focus. Still, the voices of adults could still be heard drifting through the cracked open door in the corner.

"That's the thing. I'm not sure there are. You've seen the numbers Noah you know what they mean! We can't- "

The voice was quickly hushed as the speaker appeared to stop outside of the door. Viper presumed that they were looking in at the pair who were continuing to play, rolling a wooden ball back and forth in front of the hearth, though their frames were much more rigid than before. They were listening.

"Rhea."

There was an exhausted sigh before the sound of footsteps started once again.

"Hope is all we have, we mustn't give up now."

Once the sounds had fully died away, the two gave up their pretence of play, the girl slumping in place as tears began to drip down her face. Alarmed, the boy sprang forwards.

"Sepira, what's wrong?"

The girl only curled further into his arms, shaking her head as she released more choked sobs. At the very edge of their senses, Viper could just about feel the faintest flicker of distressed Sky Flames. Not quite as pure as Harry's, but enough to make their Mist flinch back slightly. To their left, they felt more than saw the jerking, half-aborted movement that Kawahira made towards the illusion.

"It'll all work out. Just wait a little longer and you'll see."

The boy tried hard to fill those words with determination, but from the way his voice faltered mid-way, it was obvious that they were nothing more than empty platitudes.

"_Just hold on a little longer love. Just a little longer then everything will be well."_

For a second, their vision was obscured by long, ebony locks that framed a too pale face, tears carving paths through the crimson that they refused to even think about. For just one second, Viper was 9 again, and their world was ending.

The next, a doll like hand was slipping in their own, the blossoming warmth from the contact enough to jolt them back to the present. To their present at least. In front of them now was an upturned face filled with enough concern that it made something in their chest squeeze and suddenly the full implications of what they were doing hit them.

They were watching the memories of those who had watched the world fall apart around them. This was not going to be fun for any of them, but for Viper especially… could they really do this?

Before they had an answer, the world around them dissolved once again, and Viper clung harder to their one lifeline. What ever happened next, they just had to remember that they weren't alone. Not anymore.

* * *

As soon as he heard the first words, Kawahira's heart had stopped. He remembered that night. Remembered how Sepira had cried unconsolably into his shoulder long past the time they should have been asleep, refusing to tell him anything even as she attempted to hug the life out of him. Her broken apologies still featured heavily in his nightmares to this day.

(In hind sight… she had _known. _There really was no other reason… had she seen it all?)

(Why hadn't she… she could have _warned _him…. She could have done… anything really, but had chosen not to. And that _hurt._)

At the time it had been one of the worst nights of his life. Newley bonded to his best friend, locked in the home of his Uncle and completely unable to provide comfort to the one person he had sworn his life to. It was the most useless he had ever felt in his young life, and while the emotions of that night were dwarfed by the nightmare that came after, the Earthling still didn't appreciate having it thrown in his face with no warning.

But for this to be the first memory stored in the archive, it only cemented the fact that this had been of Sepira's design.

He wasn't sure how to feel about that.

Even knowing it was coming, the sudden spike in those long missed Flames was enough to drive him to his knees, and he only just managed to stop himself from reaching out. He knew this was a memory, but still… for just one moment he could close his eyes and believe…

A deceptively delicate hand slipped onto his shoulder, oddly gentle Storm Flames brushed across his own and forced him to relinquish his fantasy. He wanted to be annoyed at the intrusion, he really did, but deep down he knew… no good would come from clinging to the past. He was beginning to see that now.

Still, he kept his eyes fixed on the memory in front of him, seeking desperately to rememorize that well loved face right up until the second that the image dissolved, and he braced himself for what was to come.

"Shh, they'll hear us!"

Even with his preparation, that voice still made him flinch, but this time it hurt a little less when the world resolved itself once again to show the two children, now a little older, a little more worn, crouching on a cross beam in the rafters as they attempted to spy on the meeting that was going on below.

Huh, from this new angle he could see the short glance that Rhea had shot to their hiding place before she turned her attention back to those around the table. He had always wondered if she had known, but this just confirmed it. Seemed like Sepira had come by her stubbornness honestly, the woman had always been adamant that the two of them, the last born Earthlings, be included in these meetings, no matter how many times she had been denied.

"We have the system now. Surely that must mean something?"

There had been a time that he would have been able to name every one of those present from voice alone, but now… either time or his own Flames had dulled his memories of those in the past. He hadn't _wanted _to remember for the longest time…

"A system that only works so long as we have enough power to support it. We will lose that before long."

Even back then, shrouded in wilful ignorance and youthful optimism as he was, he had been able to hear the fatalistic tone in his Uncle's words. From the look on Sepira's youthful face, she more than heard it. Even back then her precognition had been more of a curse than a blessing. Constantly besieged by visions of an apocalypse she could do nothing to prevent.

He never considered how much that must have weighed on her before.

Bored and more than a little unnerved by the doomsday meeting that he could still vaguely remember, Kawahira decided to turn his attention to his fellow Elements, hoping to distract himself by tracking their reactions.

Given the constant thread of Storm Flames that were curling in the air around him, it was no surprise to find Fon with a sympathetic smile on his face. Down to the right, the concerned frown that the little Sky was splitting between both himself and the other Mist was equally expected, though he hadn't predicted the tumultuous feel to the usually apathetic Miser's Flames.

There was a story there. One for another time.

The others were fairly neutral in a way that seemed oddly forced.

The Hitman maintained the stern glare he had adopted after the revelation of the curse, but the fact that he had released his hold on the little Sky he had been shielding so desperately was telling.

The Cloud bore an expression of subdued horror and the two Rains had drifted closer together, leaning on each other for support while the Lightning was watching, always watching as the shades before them continued their discussion of losses and contingency plans.

With every word that drifted from the table, one truth became undeniably clear. There would be no recovering from this.

It had been at this meeting that a decision had been made that had sent himself and his Sky fleeing into the outside world for the first time in either of their lives. It had been an ill-advised decision at the time, but it had been what saved them in the end.

For all that Kawahira had run from his memories, there was still one face at the table he would be able to name until his dying days. The frail, sweating face of the man who he had caused them more pain than they had ever felt before and were likely to feel after. The tells that he hadn't seen before, too distracted by watching Sepira's precarious balance, now stood out as clear as day.

A too pale face.

Trembling hands.

A faint sheen of sweat that persisted on his brow despite his numerous attempts to wipe it clear.

Later that night, Cassio, lost in his grief at the death of his young sons and unable to see any future beyond a slow and painful death to an unknown virus, had detonated a bomb that had wiped their last safe house from the very face of the earth. Thankfully, they had been long gone by that point, running from the idea of having to live in a world without their family.

The Irony was as bitter as it was a sharp, constant blade biting deep into his chest for years afterwards.

Even now he couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if they hadn't heard the meeting. Hadn't fled when the elders suggested the idea of cryogenics for the last children of their race... He had been wondering for a very long time.

* * *

As the scene dissolved for the second time, Renato allowed himself a split second to frown, ensuring that the expression was long gone before any of the others would be able to see the moment of weakness. For the first time in a long while the Hitman was… conflicted.

On one hand, he was still furious. His instincts were raging at the very idea of a threat around his Sky to the point that allowing Harry to leave his hold in order to comfort Viper had been almost physically painful. After what Kawahira had said about the so called 'Rainbow Curse', there was nothing that should convince him to feel any trace of sympathy for the wayward Mist but…

There was something about these memories that felt more intimate than simply watching a story play out. Whether it was the faint interplay between the Flames of those they were watching, or the lingering taste of the girl's Sky on the back of his tongue, he couldn't say, but the fact remained that he was feeling a distant echo of the emotions that she felt as the scenes progressed to show Kawahira and the girl running through a darkened wood. The mixture of adrenaline and sheer determination was enough to send a shiver down his spine.

In fact, the scenario felt so real that, when a blinding explosion lit the nearby hillside, he instinctively threw himself to cover the small figure behind him, shielding the boy from a threat that was long past.

He tried to tell himself that he didn't hear the faint whimper from the side, but he had never been good at lying to himself.

It took several long moments for the light to fade from the night sky, but the afterimage of the two huddled children remained burned into his eyelids even as he shifted his hat down to block out the world. Given the disorientating effect of the memories, he couldn't be sure of the location of anything, but given the sharp spike of sheer _agony _that had shot through the scene… well, it didn't take much to put two and two together.

Despair was a powerful thing and there was nothing more dangerous than a desperate man.

Even with his eyes covered, he could feel the echoes of adolescent Flames that lashed out at the world around them, Mist and Sky mixing in a way that almost destabilised the viewing system.

This was not what he had expected when they entered into the archive. Then again, how could it have been?

* * *

Freak Harry was… confused.

The last day had been nothing but a mad rush from one extreme to another leaving him lost in an endless storm of colours mixing and twisting in a way that left him blinded to pretty much everything else. It had been all he could do not to drown in everything. There was a part of Freak Harry that just wanted to curl up in the corner until everything made sense again, but he _couldn't_.

The lights were frantically fading in and out, twisting in on themselves and pulling away. It made something in him ache _terribly_. Then the two indigo glows started to shut themselves away and he just acted, launching himself forwards and grabbing hold of anything he could reach.

_He didn't know what to do!_

Instinct demanded that he wrap his own light around the faded ones, keeping them close and shield them from the strange spines of sickly orange that pressed forwards. And didn't that _burn. _The lights were _his _and Harry was not going to let _anything _take them away from him. Not now. Not_ ever_ if he had anything to say about it.

It took a lot of the energy he had slowly been regaining over the last few weeks, but he was finally able to flare his light bright enough to cover all of _his _colours and burn away the other orange that had no business being here. Once done, he began to blend with each of the colours until they finally began to light up on their own.

It was draining, but it brought a warm feeling to his chest when they all shone brightly once again and that made it all worth it.

The soft brush of a hand against his cheek had Harry finally opening his eyes to meet the softened purple eyes of Viper as they looked down on him in concern. He didn't know why they were worried. No now that the lights were burning brightly once again.

"Hase… Hase look at me."

Look? He _was_ looking at them. Well, basking really, but who could blame him? The indigo light was so _pretty_ and he just wanted to melt into it _forever_.

"Harry!"

That was Fon, but he couldn't concentrate on that. Not when those sickly spines had reformed and were pricking at the edge of his light.

There was a low grumbling sound like when one of Aunt Marge's dogs chased him up a tree. Growling. Someone was growling… oh. It was him.

Unimportant, that other light had to _go. _It wasn't _his _and he _didn't want it here!_

"Reborn, what's wrong with him"

The yellow light drifted closer and something in Harry purred. His lights were all drifting closer, exactly where they were supposed to be.

"I don't know. I've never seen this before, he seems almost... feral?"

"It's a Sky thing. I've not seen it in decades, but he should be fine. It's a stress reaction more than anything."

The words were washing over him but he didn't mind, too focused on snuggling closer to the little rainbow in his mind.

Then those spines came back. _Again._

A sudden spike of fury rushed through him and something _sparked _in his chest lashing out viciously before the source of those _annoyances _finally shattered around him. Now wasn't that _much _better?

* * *

Feral… the Sky had gone Feral. Not something he had seen in a long time, though he had been aware that it was a possibility. In truth, Kawahira should have been expecting it considering how much this particular set relied on their instincts for their interactions. Still, the shock was a welcome distraction from the nostalgic pain that had been overwhelming him before. Well, that, and the sheer flood of Sky Flames that the boy had doused them all in.

For a second, it confused him how the emotions that had been so strong were suddenly so muted, but then it hit him. Sepira had made the vault, using her own Flames in it's creation. That must have been influencing him through their former bond, and through him, the rest of the set were also suffering. That must have triggered the instincts of their current Sky. Such a possessive little thing.

Still, it would have been a lie to say that it didn't feel nice to feel so wanted. Especially in the presence of those Flames that had so casually cast him aside before.

Without warning, a spike of wild energy shot out of the child and completely shattered the image of the memories they had all been ignoring, leaving them back in the vault where all of this had begun.

"What just happened?"

Yes… Kawahira would like an answer to that himself, but watching the child napping so happily in the other Mist's hold, be couldn't quite bring himself to push. Sure, they hadn't been able to gain all of the answers they had wanted from the vault and, yes, it had opened up a lot of old wounds but… anything else would have to wait.

Preferably for a time when they could take another dive into the memories without the possessive little Sky to interfere. For now… well, now he was going to take a look at that seal. It obviously needed it.


End file.
